金融時報:優(yōu)步聯手臉書用手機訊息叫車

所屬教程:金融時報原文閱讀

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2021年10月23日

手機版

掃描二維碼方便學習和分享

優(yōu)步聯手臉書用手機訊息叫車

很多人都用Facebook Messenger來約朋友吃飯，這時他們就不用從手機再叫出另一個app，而是直接在Messenger對話中叫車。Facebook也能儲存用戶的付款資訊，供其他透過臉書進行的購物服務利用。于是，臉書獨立的訊息服務擴張至不再只有單純的溝通功能，Uber更一舉成為擁有7億社群網絡用戶支撐的服務軟體。

測試中可能遇到的詞匯和知識：

alliance聯盟[?'la??ns]

disruptive破壞的[d?s'r?pt?v]

tie-up合作

concierge看門人[['k?nsie??]

coupo優(yōu)惠券['ku:p?nz]

integration一體化[?nt?'gre??n]

mortgage抵押貸款['m?:g?d?]

Facebook Messenger in transport move with Uber ride ordering deal （537 words）

By Leslie Hook and Hannah Kuchler in San Francisco

Uber has agreed an alliance with Facebook Messenger that will allow users to order a ride from within the Messenger chat app, in a coup for the disruptive ride-hailing company.

The tie-up gives Uber access to millions of potential new users and marks the first time that Messenger — for which Facebook has ambitions ranging from retail to concierge services — has ventured into transport.

Uber is the biggest ride-hailing company in the world in terms of funding, with about $12bn raised so far — even as lawsuits relating to its treatment of drivers and compliance with local laws work their way through courts in many countries.

The San Francisco-based company has been spending heavily to attract new users by providing them with generous coupons for joining and referring friends, and it will inaugurate the Messenger deal with a $20 coupon for new users.

Its Facebook Messenger service, initially released in 10 cities on Wednesday, will be rolled out across the US before Christmas, with the goal of expanding internationally in 2016. Uber would not disclose whether there was a revenue-sharing agreement with Facebook as part of the deal.

Uber has been working on extending the reach of its transportation service beyond its standalone app, and map apps from Google and Baidu, which is an investor in Uber, already have links that will steer a user to the Uber app.

Facebook's integration is unusual, though, because it works within Messenger, allowing a user to hail a car without ever leaving the chat app.

It forms part of a wider plan to turn Facebook Messenger into a chat platform, along the lines of China's WeChat or Japan's Line. These rival apps offer services such as hailing a cab, applying for a mortgage or even, in the case of Line, communicating with your smart fridge.

Facebook Messenger has more than doubled its userbase in the past year and a half since it was broken out from the main Facebook app. Its more than 700m monthly active users can send gifs and stickers, make voice calls and payments from within the app.

Facebook is also experimenting with a personal virtual assistant within Messenger, called M. It is powered by a combination of artificial intelligence and a team of humans, and can enable users to carry out tasks ranging from sending a friend flowers to cancelling a cable subscription.

Partnering with Uber could help Facebook Messenger persuade more users to hand over their payment details, which it could then store and use to encourage speedy purchases within the app. People who want to sign up for the service but do not already have an Uber account will store their credit card details in Messenger and have them sent securely to Uber to be charged.

The deal will also help differentiate Messenger in a crowd of chat apps, including Facebook-owned WhatsApp, which focuses on being a fast and simple text replacement service.

Seth Rosenberg, product manager for Messenger, said the agreement with Uber was the first it planned in the new category of transport. Messenger is also working with airline KLM to show boarding passes within the app but Mr Rosenberg would not say whether Facebook would strike deals with Uber's rivals such as Lyft.

請根據你所讀到的文章內容，完成以下自測題目：

1.Where does Facebook want to try recently?

A.retail

B.transport

C.media

D.P2P

答案(1)

2.Who is the biggest ride-hailing company in terms of funding all over the world?

A.Ola

B.Grabtaxi

C.Lyft

D.Uber