Yango – a ride-hailing, delivery and e-grocery company with Russian origins – is gaining popularity and challenging industry majors Uber and Careem in Dubai, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday, citing sources.

Its share of the local ride-hailing market in May amounted to between 4% and 8%, less than a year after the company started operations in the UAE’s most populous city, according to the report.

Yango launched in Dubai in September 2022. It’s operated by Netherlands-based company Ridetech International, formerly Yandex Taxi, a subsidiary of Yandex NV, the Dutch-registered holding company for the Russian IT conglomerate Yandex.

Analysts note that the company’s popularity stems from the influx of Russian businesses and expats, who have been relocating to the UAE over the past year amid anti-Russia sanctions imposed in the West. According to Islam Abdul Karim, Yango’s regional general manager, the number of orders for Yango rides is growing at an average of about 20% every week.

Yango’s main rivals in the region, US-based Uber and Uber-owned local firm Careem, told Bloomberg that they welcome the competition.

Uber and Yandex have already faced off in the Russian ride-hailing market. Their rivalry ended in 2017, when the companies merged their Russian businesses to form a joint venture with Yandex as the leading partner. Last month, however, Yandex bought out Uber’s share in the company for $702.5 million, becoming the sole owner.

Three new metro link bus routes will be launched in Dubai from May 19, according to the Roads and Transport Authority. There will be modifications to the schedules of few existing routes to expand the reach of the public bus network and step up its integration with other mass transit means in the emirate.

New routes:

• Route 51 will connect Al Khail Gate and Business Bay Metro Station, operating at a frequency of 20 minutes during peak hours.
• Route SH1 will shuttle between Dubai Mall Metro Station and Sobha Realty Metro Station at a frequency of 60 minutes.
• Route YM1 will run between UAE Exchange Metro Station and Yiwu Market at a frequency of 60 minutes.

Modified routes:

• The path of Route F47 will be modified to terminate at Dubai Investment Park Metro Station. Those heading to Dubai Investments Park should use the current routes F51, F50, F48 and F46.
• Route 50 will end at Business Bay Metro Station. Passengers bound for Al Khail Gate should opt for the new Route 51.
• Route C15 will be extended to include Al Mamzar Beach Park bus stop.
• Route E102 will be extended to end at Al Jaffiliya Bus Station.

The Public Transport Agency will also make improvements to the journey times of 48 other bus routes: 91A, C04, 91, 84, 81, 77, 67, 66, 64, 62, 61, 53, 51, 50, 29, 24, 22, 21, 17, 13, 8, 7C09, C15, C28, D03, E700, F01, F05, F06, F08, F10, F21, F26, F27, F30, F36, F47, F57, J01, N55, X02, X13, X22, X23, X28, X25 & X64.

The UAE fuel price committee has announced petrol and diesel prices for the month of May 2023. Starting May 1, Super 98 petrol will cost Dh3.16 a litre, compared to Dh3.01 in April. Special 95 petrol will cost Dh3.05 per litre, compared to Dh2.90 last month.

E-Plus 91 petrol will cost Dh2.79 a litre, compared to Dh2.82 a litre in April. Diesel will be charged at Dh2.91 a litre compared to Dh3.03 last month.

 

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Since the UAE aligned petrol prices with global rates in 2015, any decrease or increase in global prices directly reflects in the local petrol prices when they’re revised at the end of every month.

According to Global Petrol Prices, fuel prices were cheaper by over 40 per cent as of April 24 in the Emirates as compared to the global average. Data showed the average global price of petrol was Dh4.87 on April 24 as compared to Dh2.90 in the UAE.

Based on this rate, prices in the were UAE the 23rd cheapest in the world. Prices peaked in the UAE in June and July last year after the Russia-Ukraine war, reaching Dh4.63 per litre in the country.