Uber seals taxi deal to expand its business in Italy

　　div classBodysc17zpet90 cdBBJodivpMILAN Reuters – Uber Technologies Inc has clinched a deal to integrate its ridehailing app with Italy‘s largest taxi dispatcher as it seeks to boost its presence in the eurozone’s thirdlargest economy, the company said on Tuesday. p

　　pThe move is part of Ubers strategy of working with established taxi operators, tapping into a recovery in demand after the pandemicdriven downturn.pdivdivdiv classBodysc17zpet90 cdBBJodiv

　　pUnder the agreement with IT Taxi, over 12,000 taxi drivers in Italy will have access to the Uber platform. It will make the app available in over 80 new cities and grow Ubers existing business in big cities such as Rome, Milan, Turin and Bologna.p

　　pThe partnership, which will start in June, follows similar deals in Spain, Germany, Austria, Turkey, South Korea, Hong Kong as well in New York and San Francisco. The company wants to have every taxi available on its app by 2025.p

　　p“This is a truly historic deal in one of our most strategically important markets globally,” said Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi.p

　　p“We strongly believe taxis and Uber are better together, and were committed to making this a partnership of trust and cooperation long into the future,” he added.p

　　pLike other countries in Europe, Italy in 2015 blocked the use of the Uber service that relied on drivers without commercial licences following legal challenges by taxi associations.p

　　pIn Italy, Uber currently operates in eight cities, including Rome and Milan, where it offers its socalled Uber Black service, providing professional drivers in luxury sedans. p

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　　pp Reporting by Elvira Pollina Editing by Keith Weirp

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