Uber entered Johannesburg in 2013 Nairobi in 2015 and Lagos in 2016 assuming its card‑centric app would work as it did in the US and Europe. Within months it discovered that less than 40 % of adults in those countries had a bank account and that cash remained king for daily transactions. In response Uber launched Uber Cash in 2017 partnered with M‑Pesa Airtel Money and later with local banks to let riders top up wallets via USSD or agent networks. By 2020 cash accounted for over 40 % of rides in Nigeria and 35 % in Kenya.

Mapping proved just as tricky. Satellite imagery missed informal settlements and constantly shifting roadworks. Uber began relying on driver‑collected GPS traces and partnered with local GIS firms and OpenStreetMap contributors to build offline map packs that could be used without a data connection. The company also introduced cash‑only incentives for drivers who agreed to serve poorly mapped neighborhoods, creating a feedback loop that gradually improved coverage.

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