Is Uber coming to Kampala?

Is Uber coming to Kampala? Well, by the look of things, Uganda's capital will be an "Uber city" sooner than later.

The American multinational online transportation network company is in discussions with a Ugandan start-up to start operations in Kampala.

Troublesome expansion into East Africa

Uber has recently embarked on an expansion in Africa, starting with South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya. Uber however, has found African hospitality hard to come by as it has been met by opposition from traditional taxis.

Last month, an Uber taxi was torched in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, shortly after it launched its services in Mombasa.

Several men have been charged with attempted murder and malicious damage to property relating to the incident.

It is not only in Africa where Uber has faced opposition. Uber drivers in cities around the world have had to deal faced threats, protests and legal action from traditional taxi operators and drivers.

 Why all the animosity against Uber? Traditional taxi drivers and operators claim Uber's cheaper fares and business model are pushing them out of business.

What is Uber?

So what exactly is Uber? It is basically a mobile app which connects drivers with passengers directly, instead of going through the hustle of physically locating a taxi.

Using GPS, the Uber app picks up your location and connects you with the nearest driver. If you want to travel in style, you can also ask for a "cooler" taxi to come pick you app.

Uber also plans to expand into Tanzania and Ghana this year.