Uber is active in many countries around the world, one of their strong markets is New Zealand, and Uber is now expanding its reach into Dunedin and Queenstown. Uber expects to be fully operational in both sites by May. UberEATS will also be expanding together with Uber ridesharing, so that Dunedin will see an UberEATS launch at the same time.
This expansion will bring Uber into seven cities, and this comes four years after Uber opened its first office in Auckland four years ago. Uber's bad boy image has not been different in New Zealand, they also flaunted the rules and regulators, and due to this, the regulators implemented a mandatory endorsement of licensing to apply to all drivers, so now all Uber drivers are required to have a New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) endorsed license to operate.
New Zealand tourism is constantly increasing, mainly due to the amazing scenery that viewers of Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit" and "Lord of the Rings" films brought film lovers. With this growth comes to a demand for more transportation solutions, however, local regulators are concerned with the increased number of cars that could cause congestion in an area that is traffic free most of the time. The local taxi services are not worried by the increase of Uber drivers, perhaps since the communities there are so small, any added form of occupation would increase the local income. Add to this the fact that the local taxi service has not really comprehended the impact of Uber; we will wait and watch what is happening in New Zealand in a few months' time.