In trying to think of possible mergers and acquisitions for Uber, I have to admit that I'm scratching my head a little bit. I really can't see Uber acquiring smaller ride-sharing companies like Lyft or Hailo. This is because they really have nothing to offer. The only bonus would be more drivers, but Uber has other ways of stealing drivers and most Lyft drivers are already driving for Uber in addition to Lyft.
I noticed on Uber's driver part of their website they are now helping drivers find cars and finance them, presumably just be referring them to third parties. Still I was thinking it could be interesting if they expanded this and started financing cars in house. I've paid close attention to the type of people that drive for Uber. There are definitely distinct types of people that choose to drive. In the group that are doing it for a living rather than a way to make some extra side money or keep themselves busy, there seem to be many foreigners that start driving as soon as they get here. These are different than the type of foreigners who drive for cabs. By nature, a lot of immigrants come here with very little money. The ones who become cab drivers don't make enough money to really climb out of this income level but people can make real money driving for Uber. They just need a car. So Uber offering "lease to own" sort of scenarios for these people could be a win win for both the drivers and Uber. They drive until they own the car, and then they hopefully have enough money they can explore other income earning opportunities if they don't wish to drive for Uber forever.
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