Uber Launches in Kyiv

The Uber taxi service officially started working in Kyiv on June 30, Ain.ua [ed.: the text of this hyperlink is in the Russian language] reports.

"Uber will only employ drivers with a taxi driver’s license and a criminal history clearance. Cars produced after 2007 are only acceptable. If a driver wants to work directly with Uber, he/she needs to get registered as an individual entrepreneur. Alternatively, they can work through a mediator that will collect a fee," the publication reads.

Uber system means the order comes to the driver who is closest to the customer's location. The driver has 10-12 seconds to take the order, otherwise it will be transferred to another driver.

Uber’s fare consists of pickup fee + ride fare + waiting time fare. In addition, if there are many orders coming simultaneously from an area, this area will be marked red on the driver's map, and peak pricing will apply.

The service is trying to prevent possible conflicts between drivers and passengers – specifically, it will block the accounts of either parties due to a poor rating. For instance, Uber will reimburse the driver the cost of dry cleaning and his/her time spent at a carwash if passengers smear a cab.

"Drivers will be paid weekly. All the money is accumulated in one account, and then distributed weekly among partners who transfer them to drivers’ accounts," the publication says.

Uber has been preparing to launch in Ukraine since February 2016. It created a database of drivers and conducted training for them. The next planned cities are Lviv, Odesa, Kharkiv and Dnipro.

Source: Ukrayinska Pravda