Uber’s Bumpy Ride in Kenya and Brazil
Deep Dives
Explore related topics with these Wikipedia articles, rewritten for enjoyable reading:
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Nairobi National Park
13 min read
The article discusses Uber Safari launching in this specific park. Understanding the park's unique status as a wildlife reserve within a major city, its history, and conservation challenges provides essential context for why ride-hailing in protected zones is contentious.
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Platform economy
16 min read
The article explores how global tech platforms like Uber struggle when entering local markets. Understanding the broader economics of platform businesses, network effects, and the tension between global scale and local adaptation provides theoretical grounding for the challenges described.
Let’s talk about Uber’s latest move in Kenya. The company launched Uber Safari, a feature that lets you book a game-drive vehicle in Nairobi National Park straight from the app. Sounds smart, right?
Except… it hasn’t gone down well.
Local tour operators say the prices are high and unclear. Some even claim they’re being pushed aside. Regulators don’t seem fully ready either — there’s still no clear policy on how ride-hailing fits into protected wildlife zones.
What looked like a shortcut to modernize tourism is now a reminder that tech doesn’t always translate across borders. When global platforms enter local industries, the result often depends on how well they understand the ground they’re stepping on.
Read the full story here: Uber Safari’s High Price and Low Transparency Raise Questions in Kenya.
Now, let’s switch to Brazil.
In the latest Emerging Markets Today podcast episode, we look at what it really takes to enter Brazil’s ride-sharing market — one of the most competitive in the world. Between Uber, 99, and strict regulation, new players have to fight for every rider.
It’s a story of persistence and timing, not hype.
You can watch the full episode:
On Spotify (video) and all the other platforms: Click here.
On Substack: Brazil: What It Takes to Break Into the Ride-Sharing Market
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