Uber to partner with taxis in Myanmar

YANGON: Uber Technologies Inc is only hiring government-accredited taxi drivers in Myanmar, a regional executive said, a move that allows it to avoid the legal hurdles that have dogged it across Asia in one of the region’s last frontier markets. This partnership with local taxi drivers and their unions is unique to Myanmar, Sam Bool, Uber’s expansion general manager for South East Asia, said as services began on Thursday in the small but potentially lucrative market where Southeast Asian rival Grab Taxi and local service providers are already going strong. “Having the government support from day one is pretty powerful,” Bool said. — Reuters