(11 May 2017) The private ride-hailing service Uber officially launched operations on Thursday in Myanmar's main city Yangon, aiming to tap into one of the world's youngest and fastest-growing online markets.
Uber is one of the world's largest on-demand transportation platforms.
It is seeking an alliance with the government to smooth acceptance of the use of private vehicles for commercial transport.
A taxi ride in Myanmar usually involves negotiating prices, no use of meters and a lack of air conditioning or seat belts.
Using a ride-hailing app is still a relatively new concept, though the practice has been gaining in popularity.
Local travel services start-up Oway and Hello Cabs, a rival service run by a construction and auto dealership tycoon, also provide ride-hailing services.
While some people liked the idea, others thought it would still be quicker just to get a taxi in the street.
Some taxi drivers were put off because they had been told that messages from customers would be in English only.
Incomes for most people are still low, so price competition may be key.
An online Uber fare estimator put the base fare in Yangon at 1,500 kyats (pronounced chuts) (1.09 US dollars) with a minimum charge of 1,800 kyats (1.31 US dollars).
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