"Uber and Chinese-owned rival 99 have a common enemy in Brazil", 11 de abril de 2025

“Uber Moto: Rio de Janeiro has it,” declared a digital billboard along one of São Paulo’s busiest streets last month. “São Paulo doesn’t.”

The ad, from Uber, is the latest in a monthslong battle that has pitted the ride-hailing giant against the São Paulo city government, which banned motorcycle transport via app in 2023. Uber has found an unlikely ally in its Chinese-owned competitor, 99... …Earlier this year, Uber and 99 briefly defied the ban, and were promptly sued by the city...

In Brazil, “these companies continue to adopt a strategic disobedience to open new markets,” Nina Desgranges, a researcher at the Brazil-based think tank Institute for Technology & Society, told Rest of World... According to Rossini, Uber and 99 have coordinated their efforts through Amobitec, a lobby group representing the mobility and technology sector in the country. Uber and Amobitec declined interview requests from Rest of World...

In São Paulo, shortly after the lawsuit was filed, a local court ruling halted motorcycle ride-hailing. In the 14 days that 99Moto operated in São Paulo in January, the company generated 7 million reais ($1.2 million) for motorcyclists and recorded 500,000 rides...Operating motorcycle rides in the city is “extremely strategic,” he added. For Uber, Brazil is its largest market worldwide in terms of drivers...