Uber launches in Hamburg

The popular ride-hailing app Uber announced this morning that it is launching in Germany’s second city, Hamburg. Despite its progress being hampered by resistance from local taxis companies, governments and courts, Uber is now active in six cities in Germany. 

Uber services commence in Hamburg

Uber, which connects drivers and passengers through an app on their mobile phones in more than 100 cities in Europe, will commence operating its low-cost UberX option in Hamburg, as well as Uber Taxi, a more traditional taxi service, and Uber Green, which only uses electric cars. 

The expansion into Hamburg means that Uber is now operating in six major German cities after it launched in Cologne earlier this year. With its early progress marred by legislative difficulties, controversies and fierce opposition, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi last year vowed to make a fresh start in Europe’s biggest economy and seek responsible growth. 

Uber vows to work together with German cities

“The ways people move around cities are changing, and we see positive regulatory momentum for ride-sharing across Europe,” said Pierre-Dimitri Gore-Coty, Vice President of International Rides at Uber. “We are partnering with cities throughout Germany to address their growing transportation needs and shape the future of urban mobility together.”

Private drivers will no longer be used in Hamburg; instead, the app is working together with local rental car companies and taxi operators. Anyone booking through the app will be driven by a fully-licensed driver and will pay a fixed price quoted at the start of the trip. Prices are currently 10 to 15 percent below standard taxi fares. 

Uber will meet stiff competition in Hamburg in the shape of well-established German companies such as Mytaxi and Taxi.de, as well as newly-launched taxi app FREE NOW, a new joint venture by car manufacturers Daimler and BMW that has recently received more than 1 billion euros in funding.