Uber: Rideshare service officially launches in Whanganui

Uber is now officially operating in Whanganui, having already started running in Gisborne and Whangārei.

Rideshare service Uber has now officially launched in Whanganui.

Uber representatives were at the Business Whanganui office on July 29 to meet with people wanting to sign up as driver partners.

Uber in New Zealand is cashless, with passengers connecting to drivers through its app, which also processes payments.

This week, the company said it was unable to disclose the exact number of drivers operating in Whanganui.

In a statement, Uber’s expansion lead for Australia and NZ, Dan Lopez, said the city had “so much to offer”.

“Talking with locals and drivers, there’s a real sense of excitement about having Uber in Whanganui,” he said.

Lopez told the Chronicle in July that Whanganui was in the “second wave” of a New Zealand expansion, with other centres such as Gisborne and Whangārei.

“We’ll start with a smaller number of drivers and make sure there is a reliable product for customers,” he said.

“We try to set the optimal price for the right level of demand, but also the right level of supply.”

Reliable Cabs owner John Freeman said he was aware that some taxi drivers in the city had signed up with Uber, to supplement income “in their quiet times”.

He said he had no plans to join them.

“I’ve got all the work I can do at the moment.”

Uber said that since arriving in New Zealand in 2014, more than two million people had ridden or eaten using the Uber and Uber Eats apps, and riders had travelled 747.7 million kilometres.

Mike Tweed is a multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present his focus is local government, primarily the Whanganui District Council.