THE SYDNEY START-UP THAT JUST SOLD TO UBER
US rideshare giant Uber has made its first acquisition in Australia, snapping up tech start-up Car Next Door, which offers vehicle rentals on an hourly or daily basis around the country.
The deal gives Uber access to a major car sharing platform with operations across the country.
It also gives the car sharing business access to Uber’s deep pockets and the company’s burgeoning customer numbers. The deal is now final and Car Next Door will report to Uber Australia but will retain its existing management team.
Implementation of the deal is set to be hammered out in the coming months, but Uber customers are expected to get access to Car Next Door’s rental options through the main Uber app. Uber declined to reveal how much it paid for Car Next Door.
Uber Australia and New Zealand general manager Dom Taylor said 2022 marked 10 years of operations for Car
Next Door and Uber in Australia.
“Over the last decade, Uber has created shared rides options like Uber Pool, invested $800m globally to drive electric vehicle uptake, and integrated micromobility, and public transport options into the Uber app,” he said.
“What our app users haven’t had though, is the option for those mid-range and longer-distance trips. This deal will change that, and mean that the Uber platform can be a reliable and convenient alternative to the choice to own a car.”
Car Next Door chief executive and co-founder Will Davies said the deal would allow the business to scale up.
“We’re hearing from more and more people that they no longer feel the need to own a car, because getting transport on demand saves them money and hassle,” he said.
“In the 10 years since Uber and we launched in Australia, attitudes to car ownership have really started to shift.”