Articles tagged “ridesharing”

Running an airline isn't easy, and neither is launching ridesharing, financial services, and delivery businesses from scratch. AirAsia has its work cut out for it in terms of the required investments and trying to be everything to everyone in Southeast Asian markets with entrenched incumbents.

If you are grasping for any signs that the U.S. or global economies have a heartbeat, then consider that Uber's rideshare revenue has been ticking upwards in the past two weeks after plummeting over the past two months. No, this is not the same as China reopening or a promising coronavirus vaccine in the making, but at this point we'll latch onto almost anything.

Doing just traditional car rental isn't going to cut it anymore, and Avis is rapidly expanding its alternative services.

Uber certainly isn't making a profit yet, which isn't the worst thing in the world, considering the mammoth market opportunity. Still, investors in its initial public offering should know it could take several years before that red ink turns black.

Expedia has dealt with a ton of distractions in recent years as it acquired Wotif, Travelocity, Orbitz Worldwide, and HomeAway, for example. CEO Mark Okerstrom wants to focus on the basics instead, and doesn't want to take bold steps into dining reservations or food delivery for now. On the other hand, Expedia is a very acquisitive company so never say never.

Uber needs to shed its Saudi Arabia investment as long as Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman remains in power, and the country bombs innocents in Yemen. Uber's leaders know they have to do this, but how they dump their Saudi investment and the extent of the divorce remain to be seen.

In initial public offering land, it's a long time until 2019. The markets are turbulent at the moment and there are big regulatory headaches that stubbornly persist, but investors are salivating at the prospect of dropping some money into Uber and/or Airbnb. These IPO plans could be very impactful.

If there is a common thread throughout the in-destination journey today, it’s mobile. Even so, gaps exist in mobile usage between parts of the journey and the key players in each part. For those that are behind, it’s urgent to play catch-up.

From finding things to do, to making spontaneous bookings, and more, mobile has a role to play at each part of the in-destination journey. Travel brands that can add value to this mobile journey have a lot to gain.

On the streets of Nairobi, homegrown ridesharing service Little is giving Uber a run for its money. And judging by the growth, innovative ideas are proving just as useful as deep pockets.