Uber continues its startup love affair in Asia as it partners with Taiwan’s WhatsTheNumber

Today Uber, the fast-growing transportation startup, announced it will collaborate with WhatsTheNumber, the phone-number search service from Taiwan-based mobile app company StorySense.

As reported by Taiwan’s Business Next, users who register with Uber and enter WHATSTHENUMBER can receive NTD$350 (about $10) towards a ride.

WhatsTheNumber is a mobile app for iOS that lets users search for a specific location and immediately dial its phone number. Developed by MIT Media Lab alum Edward Shen, it has racked up 800,000 registered users to date, the majority of whom reside in Taiwan and Hong Kong.

Linking up with local startup ecosystems appears to be a favored strategy as Uber continues to rapidly expand throughout Asia.

Months after launching in South Korea last August, the company partnered with Between, the Korean dating app, to offer free limo rides for lucky couples. In Singapore, where Uber has been available officially since January, the company has partnered with Founder Institute and Geekcamp to offer free rides for attendees to their events.

Given that these partnerships are purely promotional, they likely serve to generate interest in Uber among the mobile-savvy (or early adopters, some might say), while also spreading good vibes throughout the local startup scene.

Uber launched in Taipei last June, and the company kept up its trot through Asia by rolling out its private-car services in Kuala Lampur, Tokyo, Shanghai, and Shenzhen this past Autumn.

Uber has yet to reveal any hard data regarding its usage in these territories, though given each region’s distinct traffic conditions and transportation regulations, its reception will probably vary city-to-city.

(Editing by Terence Lee)