Uber’s new Brazil centre aims to improve safety of cash transactions

A man arrives at the Uber offices in Queens, New York, U.S., February 2, 2017. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/Files

SAO PAULO: Ride-hailing company Uber Technologies Inc plans to open a 250mil reais (RM262.70mil) centre in Brazil that will research technology to make it safer for its drivers to accept cash, a key payment method in its rapid expansion in Latin America, the company said Aug 17.

Uber's Safety Product Director Sachin Kansal said in an interview that the investment over the next five years would fund an office with around 150 tech specialists in Sao Paulo, its biggest city in the world by rides, focused on a variety of safety solutions.