Russian Car-Share Acquires Fuel Startup

Russian car-sharing company Yandex.Drive, owned by Russia’s largest internet group Yandex, has bought startup fuel delivery service Toplivo v Bak.

Toplivo v Bak, which translates as “Fuel to the Tank,” will help Yandex.Drive improve the fueling of its growing car fleet, the company said in a statement, according to Reuters.

The specifics of the deal were not disclosed. Toplivo v Bak and its rival Pump deliver fuel directly to cars, even if the owner isn’t there. The companies both service vehicles on behalf of car-sharing companies and private clients.

Yandex revealed that Toplivo v Bak would stop delivering to private and corporate clients after the acquisition in order to focus on Yandex.Drive. Pump will now be the only company servicing private clients in Russian cities.

Toplivo v Bak was available in Moscow, St Petersburg and Sochi.

This is the latest move by Yandex, which last year teamed up with Uber to create a new company that combines its Rides and EATS business in Russia.

Uber said the Russian merger would also include business in Azerbaijan, Belarus and Kazakhstan, as well as in Armenia and Georgia, where it currently doesn’t operate. Uber called the merger with the Russian car-sharing firm an exciting opportunity in a unique situation and said the operations in other countries will not be affected by it.

“The new company’s goal will be to serve the needs of riders, drivers and cities as we develop a fast-growing, sustainable ridesharing, food delivery and logistics business in the region. Combining Yandex’s local expertise in search, maps and navigation with our leading global experience in ridesharing will enable us to build the best local services and provide a credible alternative to car ownership across the region,” said Uber in the blog post. “For the foreseeable future, the Uber and Yandex brands and rider apps will continue to operate, while the driver apps will be integrated after the transaction closes. The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals and other conditions and is expected to close in Q4 of this year.”