For the last decade, global ride-hailing giant Uber has helped people get around our region. For much of that time, it’s also been a proud supporter of the Liverpool International Tennis Tournament.
We caught up with Uber’s Head of Driver, Neil McGonigle, to talk about their journey in the Northwest and its association with our event.
Tell us about your role at Uber.
I’m responsible for Driver Operations in the UK. My team’s primary responsibility is to ensure we have a sufficient number of drivers to provide a reliable service to the people who rely on Uber to get around their city while managing the experience of drivers on our platform. I also look after our relationship with the GMB union, which has been in place for four years, and lead our initiative to electrify our UK fleet by 2030.
It’s been 10 years since you helped launch Uber in Liverpool and the Northwest. Tell us about the journey so far.
Liverpool is a city that has always had a thriving taxi and private hire sector. Companies like Delta and Alpha were ahead of their time in many ways and are very well-established in the region. It is certainly a competitive industry, and they are companies that I respect a lot.
Uber brought significant innovation to the industry when we launched back in 2015. I think that has helped drive standards up across the sector. Things that people might take for granted now – an entirely cashless process, the ability to receive a picture of your driver before they arrived, tracking your driver’s progress towards your pick-up point so you don’t have to wait on the street for them to arrive, and being able to digitally share your journey with friends or family so they can follow you real-time were hugely innovative when we entered the market.
Since then, we have continued to innovate and evolve our business. We continue leveraging technology to make our platform as safe as possible – for drivers and riders. We’ve added multiple other transport options into the app, too. You can hire a car, book a train or pay for a flight. And, of course, there’s our delivery business, UberEats.
What does Liverpool mean to Uber?
Liverpool is one of our key cities in the UK, it’s hugely important. We have a massive social scene here and a thriving visitor economy – whether people are here for football, music, nightlife, or our cultural offerings. Whether people visit from elsewhere in the UK or abroad, we play an important role in helping them explore Liverpool and get around the city. We also help Scousers get to where they need to go on a day-to-day basis.
Riders and drivers alike have embraced Uber in Liverpool, and that’s helped fuel the success we’ve seen in the ten years we’ve operated here.
What role does Uber play in helping people commute around sporting events in the city?
We are a key part of the transport mix when it comes to helping large volumes of people get to and from major sporting events around the city as quickly, safely and affordably as possible.
Again, we’ve leveraged technology to help optimise people’s experience of being dropped off at or picked up from key sporting venues. We can create digital pick-up and drop-off locations within the app, just as we might do at an airport or train station, to direct both the rider and the driver to meet at the optimal location for the smoothest pick-up experience and most efficient departure away from the venue.
What inspired Uber to get involved with The Liverpool International Tennis Tournament?
I first met Anders (LITT Tournament Director) through Frank McKenna’s Downtown in Business organisation shortly after we launched Uber. Initially, it was a good way to raise the profile of our brand in Liverpool and connect with the local business community. There’s a very social connectedness to the business community in Liverpool compared to many other cities. So, our involvement back then was a good way to increase our profile and visibility in the early days of Uber here.
But I was also intrigued by the Tennis itself and the amazing work that Anders does to bring the sport to the people of Liverpool, particularly the kids. I had never really been involved in tennis before – my interests didn’t extend beyond football. And it’s not a sport that many kids in the city would typically be exposed to in the past. But Anders seemed to be doing a great job going into schools and introducing the kids to tennis, getting them involved, and encouraging them to get out into the fresh air and enjoy the sport as a way to keep fit.
What are the benefits of your partnership with The Liverpool International Tennis Tournament?
Uber doesn’t need brand awareness in the same way that we did back in 2015. However, there are still benefits to remaining involved and being part of what has become a major fixture on the annual social calendar for the Liverpool business community. People might be well aware of the Uber brand today, but there is more we can do to share the Uber for Business offering we provide that might be relevant for other corporates involved in the tournament, or to promote the multimodal transport options that are available through the app today.
And coming back to what the tournament does with school kids within the city – introducing them to the sport, encouraging them to pick up a racket and give it a try – I think that’s hugely worthwhile from a CSR perspective. My two kids have started playing tennis on a Saturday morning – and that likely never would have happened if I hadn’t got involved in the tournament.
What’s the most exciting part of your involvement with Liverpool Tennis?
One thing Anders manages to touch lucky with – most years! – is the weather. That always helps make it a great social occasion. Beyond that, the most exciting part is getting close to the action and watching players at the top of their sport. The tournament has attracted some great talent over the years – including players going on to compete at Wimbledon – and the venue is quite intimate. As such, you can get really close up to the action, and it’s incredible to watch the players’ power, technique and control when they’re just a few feet away.
What would you say to local businesses considering getting involved in the Liverpool International Tennis Tournament?
Just do it. It’s a great way to get your company name out there and create brand exposure. It’s also a fantastic networking opportunity and great for corporate hospitality if you have clients or suppliers to entertain.
I wholeheartedly recommend getting involved.
