American tech giant, Uber, has entered an agreement to acquire Cheadle based Autocab, a technology company that provides software to private-hire taxi firms across the UK and Europe.
Autocab provide taxi firms with booking and dispatch software, as well as the iGo marketplace, allowing independent firms across Europe to connect with passengers via a booking app.
Through Uber’s acquisition, it will be able to link its own app with the iGo marketplace, allowing the firm to offer transport to app users in areas where it does not have its own fleet of drivers. Uber is currently available in 40 locations in the UK, but this will increase to 170 through the Cheadle technology firm’s marketplace.
Safa Alkatab, CEO of Autocab, said:
Autocab has been working with local operators across the world to provide the technology to make them more efficient and open up a marketplace to provide more trips. Working with Uber we can scale up our ambitions, providing hundreds of thousands of additional trips for our customers, and help cement the place of licenced operators in their local community.”
Post-acquisition, Autocab will remain independent, focused solely on providing technology to the taxi and private hire industry worldwide.
Jamie Heywood, Regional General Manager, Northern & Eastern Europe, Uber, said:
Autocab has worked successfully with taxi and private hire operators around the world for more than thirty years and Uber has a lot to learn from their experience. We look forward to working with the Autocab team to help local operators grow and provide drivers with genuine earnings opportunities.”
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