Uber has said it is in talks with Lagos state regulators about providing a transport system on the city’s waterways as a way of bypassing its choked roads.
TheNewsGuru (TNG) reports Uber’s Chief Business Officer, Brooks Entwistle made this known on Thursday during an interview.
“We are looking at the waterways here, which are very interesting to us as it relates to a potential service.
“We did launch Uber Boat in Mumbai and we have watched the product develop. It’s in its early stages and we think there is high relevance here,” Entwistle said.
Uber began operations in Nigeria in July 2014, beginning with the commercial capital Lagos, a megacity of around 20 million inhabitants built on a lagoon, that is beset by heavy traffic congestion.
The Uber executive, who described Lagos as “one of the great growth opportunity cities in the world”, said the company has held discussions with regulators in the city, and also with a bus firm, adding that discussions were at an early stage.
He said the talks were in line with a global push by the company to develop products that can work alongside public transit systems.
Entwistle said the combination of population growth and congestion made Lagos attractive.
The United Nations predicts that Nigeria’s population will more than double to 400 million by 2050, which would make it the third most populous country in the world after China and India.
Uber faces stiff competition in Nigeria from Estonian ride-hailing firm Bolt, which until early 2019 was called Taxify.
Bolt has grabbed business largely by taking a smaller cut from drivers using its app.
A number of motorcycle ride-hailing firms, including Gokada, have also targeted Lagos state in the last few months.
