GM and Toyota team with Uber to offer discounted cars

Program will allow Uber drivers to buy or lease approved cars for lower rates

Uber fights hard to keep its cars on the road, despite pressure and lawsuits from almost all of the cities, at least in this country, which it expands to.

But that also means Uber also needs drivers in those cities, in order to keep up with demand. So what better way to get more of them out there than offering them a discount on their cars?

Those who sign up to be Uber driver will now be able to get discounted financing or leasing for vehicles that are made by Toyota and General Motors, as Uber spokesperson has confirmed to VatorNews.

Through the program drivers will have the ability to go to any dealership, and buy any Toyota or GM car, that is approved for the program, at lower rates, Uber co-founder and CEO Travis Kalanick, told Bloomberg, who first reported this news on Sunday. 

They will be able to do this through vehicle-financing companies, though which companies, or banks, will be financing and underwriting the leases have not yet been revealed. 

It will start on a trial basis, and the number of drivers who will be able to take advantage will be in the thousands at first. Kalanick hopes to have cars in the hundreds of thousands sold by the end of next year. 

For someone to become an Uber driver, they must be at least 23 years or older, must have a valid driver’s license and have to pass a criminal and motor vehicle background check.

It is free to joining Uber; drivers only pay a small commission on the metered fare. They have their payments deposited directly into their bank account.

Uber doesn't want any driver: it wants quality drivers. So they are also forced to take a test that shows their knowledge of their city.

Founded in March 2009, the San Francisco-based Uber has operations in 60 cities right now, including Amsterdam, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, the Hamptons, London, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York City, Paris, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Sydney, Toronto and Washington D.C.

It has recently been expanding overseas, specifically in Asia. 

The rollout began with a launch in Singapore in January. That was followed with tests in South Korea and then Taipei in June. The company launched in Dubai and then came the big one: Uber finally launched in China, rolling its services out in Shanghai. In August, Uber also expanded to India, with a launch in Bangalore. 

With all of those new customers, Uber will obviously need new drivers. And this will no doubt help the situation.

(Image source: https://partners.uber.com)