Udrive Stations launched in One Central
Udrive, a dedicated pay-per-minute car rental platform, launched Udrive Stations in collaboration with Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), One Central and ibis One Central, in an effort to provide exclusive mobility to its users in the area. Udrive will have two stations in the area — one near the World Trade Centre Residence and another near the business hub One Central — strategically covering both the residents, visitors and employees in the area.
Udrive Stations will provide cars to users guaranteeing availability on-demand. The stations are geofences that have been incorporated into Udrive’s proprietary technology infrastructure and are only accessible to users of select communities. Cars hired can be picked up from any of the Udrive stations and dropped back at any of the corresponding stations.
The product has been in development for almost three years, with two of those dedicated solely to research into the movement of people around the city, pain points faced by commuters and visitors and the preferred mode of transport for the population.
Nicholas Watson, Co-founder and CEO of Udrive said, “With Udrive Stations, we are catering to a market that hasn’t been served before with an original and innovative product. The Udrive team has assessed the area’s demographic and developed a globally unique, affordable and convenient way to mobility, making it easier for users to access cars of their choice almost immediately. To date, Udrive records around 800 trips weekly in the DWTC area. With our initial launch here, we are investing in the UAE’s development with forward-thinking solutions that deliver great experiences and mobility for our communities.”
Udrive Stations are aimed at the local community around the stations and frequent visitors to that area. Cars from these stations are dedicated to the users in that area and thus allows for more availability for that community. As the community grows so will the fleet dedicated to them. Users can also avail of customised messaging and pricing models and preferred vehicle options. The stations will make the car rental market more accessible and convenient for residents and tourists looking for a seamless solution.
The product is aligned with the UAE’s vision for the next 50 years and Dubai’s 2040 Urban Master Plan, which maps out a blueprint for sustainable urban development in Dubai that enhances the quality of life. One of the key objectives is to provide sustainable and flexible means of mobility — an endeavour Udrive is contributing to with the launch of Udrive Stations as car-sharing platforms have seen exponential growth worldwide as well as in the Middle East.
KPMG reports almost half of today’s car owners will no longer want to own a vehicle by 2025 and ResearchAndMarkets claim that 4 out of every 10 car journeys will be via car share. By 2026, the number of users in the car-sharing segment is expected to reach 60.7m and according to a report by Valuates, the global car-sharing market will reach US$103 billion by 2025, with a CAGR of 17.2 percent during the forecast period.
“On average a Udrive car is used by five people in a day. With the introduction of this product, we are effectively removing five private cars off the roads per Udrive car in our fleet. We envision this as the inception of many such stations throughout Dubai and the UAE that encourage the development of a smart, connected City of the Future, empowering convenient mobility and making the sharing experience increasingly simple and more reliable,” added Watson.
The tech start-up has plans to roll out Udrive Stations in areas that need more mobility options and these will be announced as they are added. Udrive has increased its fleet, workforce and partner profiles to enhance its ability to support its demand in the UAE and recently launched operations in KSA.