UUsing the Uber application in Troyes for your trips has been possible since Wednesday October 16.
The arrival of the American on-demand transport giant in the urban area, just before the Nuits de Champagne – not by chance, is part of a broader expansion in France until the end of the year, where it will going from 25 cities served to 40. The Trojan city therefore accompanies Chartres (Eure-et-Loir), Le Mans (Sarthe), Clermont-Ferrand (Puy-de-Dôme) or La Baule (Loire-Atlantique). Why now, and not before? Explanations.
1 A market
now mature
Uber has been looking at Troyes for a number of years. Post-Covid and above all, the recent growth in the number of VTC* drivers on site has finally convinced him. “For this, we need the meeting of two worlds. On the one hand, the demand for passengers and on the other, the sufficient presence of drivers. If the passenger tries to get a ride from us but has to wait an hour to be served, the experience becomes « detrimental »** »indicates Clément Conti, from the company’s communications department whose primary objective will be the “reliability”.
The figures, provided by Uber, on the behavior of local users seem eloquent. This year, between January and September, 54,000 people opened the application in Troyes while around thirty drivers connected on average every week over the same period. That is, for the first, an increase of 20% compared to 2023, with a peak in requests in the middle of August. The first six months of the year 2024 even represent all the connections for the entire year 2022.
2 Local customers
targeted as priority
Was the new tourist dimension of Troyes and its conurbation another argument in favor of this installation? Not really according to Clément Conti, who gives the distribution by ” origin “ of application openings in 2024: 54% by Trojans, 35% by residents of other cities and 11% by “internationals” (from 72 countries).
“We look, obviously, but we are primarily interested in the health of the application among the local population. We take advantage of major events, such as Les Nuits de Champagne, to get started. Times when people want to go out, without using their car, to enjoy their evening”. Note that Uber, if it is already arriving in its basic version, should see its Reserve option (to reserve a ride) arriving soon in Troyes.
3 A hard blow
for the competition?
The establishment of Uber does not go unnoticed by other local transport players, who are fiercely opposed (see elsewhere). Regarding potential unfair competition, the company nevertheless puts forward a win-win vision, relying on the analogy of the cake which gets bigger, as “the number of VTCs is increasing”. She cites nighttime travel as an example.
“The personal transport sector is very particular. The greater the supply, the greater the demand. When we arrived in France (in the early 2010s, Editor’s note), there were 50,000 taxis and 3000 to 4000 vehicles, the equivalent of VTCs at the time. Today, both are even more numerous. This is something that we have observed in all the cities where we have established ourselves. In addition, in Paris now, 3000 taxis are available on our application »assures Clément Conti. And to also mention a different clientele affected by the application, “female, younger, or used to using Uber outside”.
*Transport car with driver. **Harmful, detrimental in English.
