Uber is set to acquire UK based rival Autocab as part of its British expansion plans.

The financial details were not disclosed, but the ride hailing giant did state that Autocab will remain independent.

The company operates a ride-booking cloud-based app called iGo, which allows private hire and minicab companies to offer online bookings and organise dispaches, and is reportedly used by around half of the UK market.

At the moment, Uber is only available in 40 towns and cities in the UK, so this deal will give customers access to an additional 75,000 vehicles in areas where it does not currently operate.

Once the transaction completed, Uber should be available in approximately 170 towns and cities in the UK - and if there is no Uber car in the area, customers can book a private hire car instead.

“Autocab has worked successfully with taxi and private hire operators around the world for more than thirty years and Uber has a lot to learn from their experience,” commented Jamie Heywood, regional general manager at Uber. “We look forward to working with the Autocab team to help local operators grow and provide drivers with genuine earnings opportunities."

Autocab chief executive Safa Alkateb added: “Working with Uber we can scale up our ambitions, providing hundreds of thousands of additional trips for our customers, and help cement the place of licensed operators in their local community."

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