London should embrace new technology to make car ownership pointless April 8, 2015 London could lead a revolution in car use and car ownership over the next decade, by divorcing the two. It may soon be unnecessary to own a car to secure the full benefits of car ownership, due to a combination of continued improvement in public transport, the surge in app-based car hire services, and the [...]
This morning I rode to work in a Metrocab, London’s first electric taxi – is this black cabbies’ Uber-killer? April 8, 2015 Since taxi app Uber launched in London two years ago, the capital's traditional cabbies have developed something of an image problem. With various strikes and lawsuits on the go, the Licensed Taxi Drivers' Association (LTDA) has lost the sympathy of many of its passengers by appearing stubborn, protectionist and out of date. But now cabbies [...]
Uber users in Singapore can hail a Lamborghini or a Maserati March 30, 2015 Commuters in Singapore can now ride in a Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder or Maserati GranTurismo, after taxi app Uber added the supercars to its fleet there. Uber has partnered with luxury car rental company Dream Drive for a trial period which runs until April 20. However, the taxi app warned customers it expects demand will be high and [...]
Uber expansion: Lessons on how to rapidly scale March 29, 2015 How does a business scale in five years, from operations in one city to a presence in over 280? Uber, the Silicon Valley tech firm, has done just that – in the meantime disrupting the entire private car hire industry. What lessons does it offer other ambitious firms? Uber is a local service operating on [...]
High Court ruling on taximeters could spell the end for Uber as we know it March 28, 2015 An application by Transport for London (TfL) to the High Court could put the brakes on Uber services in London, and it all comes down to taximeters. These are the small boxes with which taxi drivers calculate the fare over the course of a journey, and the law states that in London they can only [...]
Uber bets on India growth with media deal March 23, 2015 UBER has partnered with the publisher of the Times of India newspaper in a bid to shore up its position in the lucrative market – its largest outside the US. The tie up includes commercial arrangements for marketing and distribution through Times Internet, the digital arm of the Times of India Group, as the taxi [...]
Uber targets second largest market growth with Times of India partnership March 23, 2015 Uber has partnered with the publisher of the Times of India newspaper in a bid to shore up its position in the lucrative market – its largest outside the US. The tie up includes commercial arrangements for marketing and distribution through Times Internet, the digital arm of the Times of India Group, as the taxi [...]
Uber’s Paris offices “raided” by police March 18, 2015 It's been a bad week for Uber. After reports emerged this morning that several executives in its South Korean arm had been charged with running an illegal taxi firm, and being banned in Germany for a second time, now it transpires the ride-sharing company was raided by police this week. Around 30 [...]
Uber banned for the second time in Germany March 18, 2015 In what seems to be a never-ending back and forth Uber has officially been banned in Germany – again. A regional court in Frankfurt ruled that Uber's low-cost ride-sharing service UberPop is now banned throughout the country. The case was brought by taxi union Taxi Deutschland that been battling Uber for over a year. Dieter [...]
Uber’s chief executive is among 30 charged with operating illegal taxi ring in South Korea March 18, 2015 Uber has come under fire for operating an “illegal taxi ring” in South Korea. According to Yonhap News Agency, Seoul District Police have charged 30 people associated with the company, including chief executive Travis Kalanick. Others range from Uber Korea's brand manager to the heads of car rental companies and a number of drivers. [...]