As ride-hailing firm Grab announces Myanmar expansion, is Uber about to follow?
On March 21, one of Southeast Asia's leading ride-hailing companies Grab announced that it has launched beta trials of its GrabTaxi service in Myanmar. But Uber isn't far behind, with reports that it too is taking steps to pursue growth in the country.
Singapore-based Grab is hoping to get a foot in the door of Myanmar's emerging market before its competitor Uber. Tuesday, the company announced that it has launched a beta service in the country's capital, Yangon.
Grab claims to already have over 700,000 drivers across 39 Southeast-Asian cities, as well as a presence in Seattle and Beijing, and has plans for further expansions in Indonesia, India and Vietnam.
But Grab's rival Uber might not be far behind when it comes to Myanmar: local media reports that Uber and the government have already been in communication and, perhaps an even more telling sign, the company is currently advertising for Yangon-based job openings.
