Since 22 February 2013, Uber has steadily grown to become the premier mode of transportation for Singaporeans, with on-demand private vehicle hires able to pickup and drive riders to any corner of the country.
Here we are more than three years later, and the Asia-Pacific Uber team in Singapore has grown significantly since they relocated to a 20,000 square foot space on the 11th floor of Mapletree Anson.
At the same time, they are also maintaining an offsite driver support office in the old Paya Lebar Fire Station which was recently opened.
Being in Singapore means that Uber is right at the heart of the action which puts them head to head with Grab. But it seems that Uber is far from done with their expansion plans as they seek to assert their influence in the region on an even larger scale.
Uber Soon To Have A New Home
Well, it seems that Uber is gearing up for a rapid growth of their Asia Pacific Headquarters in Singapore.
Sources have told The Business Times that Uber just recently signed the lease for a 55,000 square foot office space on both Level 35 and 36 of Guoco Tower, more than doubling the size of their current office, in a deal in which the leases lasts for three years, with an option to renew for an additional three years.
In case you didn’t know, the Guoco Tower is part of Tanjong Pagar Center, the new tallest building of Singapore right in the Central Business District.
What’s more interesting is there has been a huge uptake of office space by tenants from the media and tech industries in the Guoco Tower. Companies such as Agoda, Dentsu Aegis Network, Palo Alto Networks and SAS Singapore have been reported to be relocating there, joining the likes of The Straits Trading Company, sportswear manufacturer Asics, and MNC Teva Pharmaceutical Industries.
Seems Like They Are Already There
According to The Business Times, Uber apparently already has a presence in the new building, with serviced offices run by global office space provider, Regus.
In a media event at their current office last Friday, representatives more or less confirmed the news of Uber’s new office, and that it is expected to be operational in March 2017.
Experts believe that this major expansion comes at a time when Uber is seeing their operations retreating from China, which could have served as a catalyst for them to refocus their efforts in other parts of the Asia Pacific, especially Southeast Asia.
As to what might happen to the office in Mapletree Anson, nobody knows.
It could be a satellite office for one of their departments, much like the one in Paya Lebar. Rival Grab currently operates out of two offices in Singapore – their headquarters is located in Sin Ming, while the other is more of an R&D facility in Cecil Street.
Get Ready To Throw Your Résumés At Uber
When Google opened their new Singapore campus some months back, the news about their aggressive hiring quickly followed, with a firm focus on local and regional talent.
With that said, it might be safe to assume that the same will happen with Uber.
As these tech companies move into bigger and better offices, they will also be on the lookout to attract top talent to fill their new offices, so keep a lookout on their careers page once 2017 comes around.
While we will be sad to say goodbye to our upstairs neighbours if Uber truly decides to relocate completely to Guoco Tower, at least we can look forward to visiting their new cool office, something that you will definitely have a first look from Vulcan Post.
Featured image credit: Retail News Asia
