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Uber committed to Asia-Pacific market, launches new office in Singapore

SINGAPORE — Despite making its exit from China and South-east Asia, Uber on Tuesday (April 2) reaffirmed its commitment to its businesses in the region by launching its new Asia Pacific (Apac) Regional Hub at Frasers Towers in Singapore.

Uber launched its new Asia Pacific Regional Hub at Frasers Towers in the Central Business District of Singapore on April 2, 2019.

Uber launched its new Asia Pacific Regional Hub at Frasers Towers in the Central Business District of Singapore on April 2, 2019.

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SINGAPORE — Despite making its exit from China and South-east Asia, Uber on Tuesday (April 2) reaffirmed its commitment to its businesses in the region by launching its new Asia Pacific (Apac) Regional Hub at Frasers Towers in Singapore.

The hub has 165 employees who provide remote operational services to the region in sales, marketing, legal services and other corporate functions.

Singapore has been home to Uber’s headquarters for the Asia-Pacific region since 2015, and the ride-hailing firm said that it has no plans to relocate its hub even though it has no immediate plans for any activities here.

Uber used to be located at Guoco Towers in Tanjong Pagar before that office was taken over by Grab, following the merger of the two companies’ South-east Asian operations last year. The firm then moved to Mapletree Anson before relocating to its new 2,000 sqm office at Frasers Towers on Cecil Street.

Uber operates in nine markets in the Asia Pacific: Australia, Bangladesh, Hong Kong, India, Japan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, South Korea and Taiwan.

When asked why Uber has not moved its headquarters to a country with existing operations, Ms Amy Kunrojpanya, Uber’s senior director of policy and communications (Apac), said that Singapore is an “amazing talent hub” and a progressive environment for the start-up and technology community.

“We did do due diligence… we decided that this is the right place to retain the hub, which is why we haven’t moved,” she added.

Uber is also planning to grow its team in Singapore and will hire specialist and entry-level roles, although Ms Kunrojpanya declined to reveal the target number for hires.

UBER UNDER PRESSURE

Mr Raj Beri, head of UberEats for Asia Pacific, said at a media event on Tuesday: “Apac is a huge growth area, but also an area where we try new products.” 

He highlighted recent offerings in India such as motorcycle-sharing service Uber Moto and speedboat service UberBoat as examples of experiments that the company is piloting before taking them to other markets.

The company’s former partnership with taxi operator ComfortDelGro here also helped Uber take its taxi platform to markets such as Japan and South Korea, he added.

These products were also tailored to meet the localised demands of customers, something that critics said was lacking in Uber’s offering when it was operating in the region.

However, urban transport expert Park Byung Joon from the Singapore University of Social Sciences said that although the new products are labelled as localisation, they are not dramatically different and its ride-hailing model remains the same. This is an indication that Uber may have reached a limit in innovation, he added.

 Associate Professor Lawrence Loh of the National University of Singapore Business School said that with San Francisco-based ride-hailing competitor Lyft beating Uber in listing on the Nasdaq Stock Market last Friday, Uber may be under more pressure to grow its presence in Asia.

He pointed out that Lyft operates only in the United States and Canada.

Uber’s initial public offering (IPO) is expected to take place this year. While some critics have said that Uber should consolidate their businesses ahead of the IPO, Assoc Prof Loh said: “Even if they leave specific Asian markets, they should continue to have a footprint here.”

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