Multinational online transportation network Uber Technologies Inc. may soon launch in Odesa, with its official partners saying they’re already getting ready for business in the southern Ukrainian city.
Several of Uber’s official partners have already started hiring drivers in Odesa, the port city located 470 kilometers southwest from Kyiv.
One of the partners, Uberodessa, confirms that Uber is looking for drivers, but can’t yet give an exact launch date.
Uber Ukraine CEO Arkadiy Vershebenyuk promised to talk to the Kyiv Post about the launch on Jan. 23, but had not responded by deadline.
According to some of Uber’s partners, the launch could come as early as Jan. 26 to Feb. 2, Ukrainian tech blog Ain.ua reports. But Uberodessa’s press-service told the Kyiv Post that all the partners will know the precise date only three days before the actual launch.
Kyiv is the onlyUkrainian city so far where Uber has launched its popular low-cost private car service, UberX.
The company’s partner, Uberlin, announced it was hiring drivers in February 2015. The service launched in Kyiv on June 30 last year.
U.S. company Uber, headquartered in San Francisco, California, develops, markets and operates a mobile app that allows people to use their smartphone to submit a trip request, which is then routed to Uber drivers, who use their own cars.
The company offers services in 80 countries, including Ukraine.
Kyiv Post staff writer Denys Krasnikov can be reached at [email protected].
