Uber Targets Posh Crowd

What is Blacklane? If you don't have their app on their phone you are probably like me, too poor or working for an employer that thinks normal Ubers or Taxis are plenty good enough. The company provides luxury ride hailing services to top executives and high net worth individuals. Think nice, usually black, Mercedes S classes with tinted glass and a suited driver whisking you off to your 5 star hotel from a separate line/exit at the airport. The company has been around for quite a while, growing through takeovers itself, and is present in 60 countries and 500 cities. In the last funding round it was valued at 500 million euros.

The acquisition is a clear reminder of where the margins in the service economy are made... at the top of the pyramid. The services of the company will find an easy integration within the Uber empire as it recently rolled out a tier above their Uber Black offering with Uber Elite. They are aimed at people who want predictability and service and don't mind paying for it. Never mind that your flight was delayed, they expect the pickup service to track the flight number and adapt, just as Blacklane does. It will be interesting to see if Uber is able to position their extra tier as being "special" enough, while still integrating it into their systems and processes for maximum efficiency and customer inclusion. High end customers, especially the recently minted rich, are notoriously allergic to anything that reeks of mainstream.

The deal is also another indication that those dynamic days of spreading out in all directions by car manufacturers are well and truly over. Car sharing, mobility platforms, ride hailing, charge-cards, .... Mercedes-Benz and co are massively recentering their activities on their core. The only car-adjacent sector that seems to survive are the actual charging services provided by players like Ionity, with the majority of OEMs staying on board....for now.