Uber’s launch in Malta has been deemed a “success”, leaving Rides & Eats Ltd, the company leading its operations on the Maltese islands, “pleasantly surprised” by its performance.
The global ride-hailing app arrived in Malta in June, with its presence being supported by Alf Mizzi and Sons Group through its subsidiary Rides & Eats. It is being led by Sebastian Ripard, the former CEO of one of its chief competitors, Bolt.
It is understood that Uber operates in this way in a very few minority of markets, such as Malta, preferring to set up its own subsidiaries in the countries it operates in.
A spokesperson for Rides & Eats remarked that the launch has been “very successful and has considerably outperformed our expectations”.
“Whilst Uber was able to leverage its important international rider base, which was expected given Uber’s wide coverage throughout Europe, we were pleasantly surprised by how well the service has been adopted by local users,” the spokesperson said.
Indeed, tourists in Malta who had the Uber app downloaded due to the company’s presence in their home country meant that once arriving on the island for a holiday, those individuals could use the same app to hail an Uber ride.
And, while locals are well served by Uber’s main competitors – Bolt and eCabs – the companies maintain that there is room in the market for all three.
On competition, the representative said that in reality, the company views private vehicles as its main rival: “Uber identifies the usage of the private vehicle as its main competitor,” the spokesperson said. “So, from that point of view, we expect the use of ride-hailing to keep growing as more and more people rely on apps like Uber rather than on the private vehicle,” they continued.
“We all know the drawbacks of private vehicle usage, which brings with it a substantial financial cost, let alone the cost on space - particularly parking and road infrastructure - and on the environment,” with these issues being “especially poignant” in Malta given it has one of the highest vehicles per capita in Europe, “a number that is increasing by approximately 56 new cars per day,” the spokesperson added.
As a result of this, Rides & Eats aims to “continue fine-tuning our [Uber Malta's] product to offer the best possible value proposition to our riders and drivers alike”.
Similar to other ride-hailing services available in Malta, users are able to request a ride or order courier services through its mobile application.
Founded in 2009 with operations in over 65 countries, San Francisco-based Uber has made headlines recently for the way that it has rapidly expanded its operations, particularly under former CEO Travis Kalanick. It has also come under fire for its treatment of drivers, who are gig workers and independent contractors, as Uber has refused to include features allowing drivers to see the fare and destination before accepting a trip.
Social Image: Uber / Website
