Uber China is to cover a larger part of the China market, extending its coverage from the existing 37 cities to 55 cities by the end of February. The immediate targets are 18 cities in Guangdong, Hunan and Hubei provinces.

Of the 18 cities targeted, as Uber China indicates, five cities will be in Guangdong, including Dongguan; another five cities will be in Hunan, including Zhuzhou and Xiangtan, and eight cities will be in Hubei.  

Guangzhou and Shenzhen were among the first cities in which Uber began its foray into China in February 2014. Both cities are ranked among Uber’s global top 10 in transaction volume by now. The turnover in Guangzhou in the second half year of 2015 surged to the top in Uber’s worldwide network, and the number of users in the city increased by 30 times within a year.     

"Uber's strategy in southern China is to start with cities with sizable economies and high demand for commuting, and then expand from there to cover a larger footprint," said Gang Luo, general manager of Uber South China. "We don’t expand for the sake of it, but will carefully evaluate market demand when considering our expansion to other cities." 

Mr Luo said Guangdong, Hunan and Hubei would be the focal points in the immediate future, and more major cities and provinces will be included in Uber's blueprint later this year. (Translation by Jerry)