Uber offers free helicopter rides on Sunday

A screenshot of Uber's announcement, August 31, 2016 /COURTESY
A screenshot of Uber's announcement, August 31, 2016 /COURTESY

Uber users will have the chance to enjoy free helicopter rides in Nairobi and Mombasa on September 4*.

In a statement on Wednesday, Uber said it has partnered with Corporate Helicopters for the trip.

"Twelve lucky winners will have the opportunity to uniquely experience either the majestic Rift Valley from Nairobi or the calming coastline in Mombasa, with celebrities from each city," the statement read.

Uber launched its affordable taxi services in Nairobi in January 2015. The services have so far spread to Mombasa and Thika.

In June, the company slashed their prices by 35 per cent just as Safaricom launched its own online taxi-hailing app, Little Cab.

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This sparked of a price war, with rivals Little Cab and Mondo Ride setting lower tariffs compared to their global competitor.

Little Cab, developed by local IT firm Craft Silicon, is charging passengers Sh55 per kilometre and Sh4 per minute.

The service also has no flat base charge or price surges during peak hours or traffic jams.

Uber charges in Kenya are priced at Sh60 for every kilometre covered and Sh4 per minute in addition to a base fare of Sh100.

The San Francisco-based taxi e-hailing giant also has price surges, where it increases rates by a multiple, say 1.5 times, in the event that demand cannot be met by the number of cabs in service.

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*An earlier version of this story had erroneously reported that Uber was launching a chopper service, but the story has been clarified to note that the chopper rides will only be available on September 4.

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