Uber taxi app wins the hearts of US Congress members in 2014 midterm elections November 12, 2014 As taxi app service Uber continues to soar in popularity it's finding support among a group not usually known for their embrace of disruptive businesses with a hostility to onerous regulation. In the recent US midterm elections, Uber accounted for 61 per cent of rides taken by members of Congress and their staff. An impressive [...]
Now there’s an “Uber for laundry” for Londoners as Rocket Internet launches ZipJet November 4, 2014 Calling all those who hate doing laundry (that’s most of us) or those too lazy to get their washing done (students). There's now a solution to your problem which means you can spend more time with your feet up, rather than matching up odd socks. A new app has launched in London that offers pick-up [...]
Let markets work: Uber, Lyft and the benefits of taxi deregulation October 29, 2014 The development of ride-sharing taxi-apps like Uber and Lyft has elicited much controversy. Customers can now have a cab pick them up in minutes with a simple touch of their smartphone. However, these kinds of services have faced fierce opposition from taxi unions and regulators across Europe and the US. A new report from the [...]
Uber vs Hailo: Why has the UK taxi app been unable to replicate its US rival’s success? October 24, 2014 Yesterday, the Hailo taxi app had its day in the sun unveiling two new features; Pay Hailo and Hailo Hub. However, the shadow of the company's withdrawal from the US after failing to successfully take on rivals such as Uber and Lyft still looms large. Things looked good for Hailo when it began its US venture three [...]
New York City Ebola patient used Uber and the subway before he was admitted to hospital October 24, 2014 New York City doctor Craig Spencer, who has tested positive for Ebola after returning from Guinea, took a ride in an Uber cab and used the subway on Thursday before developing symptoms of the disease. Uber issued a statement on its blog: We reviewed our records and were able to confirm that one of our [...]
Uber taxi app heads to Leeds as Unite union cabbies protest October 22, 2014 Uber is set to make its presence felt in the North of England with a planned launch in Leeds: the taxi app has filed an application with Leeds City Council to become a private hire operator. But even before the company had the opportunity to make its mark on Leeds transportation, a group of demonstrators [...]
This stunning map visualises how Uber taxis travel through London in a single day October 21, 2014 A stunning map of London visualises how Uber taxis zip through the city's crowded streets showing how people move around the capital in just a single day. Created by Uber using anonymous data on Uber passenger's journeys on a single day in July, the map shows London never sleeps- or at least those getting cabs [...]
Taxi app Uber referred to HMRC by TfL over tax complaint by Margaret Hodge October 15, 2014 Uber, the smartphone taxi app, has been referred to HM Revenue & Customers by London’s taxi and minicab regulator Transport for London (TfL). The referral follows a complaint by Labour MP Margaret Hodge that Uber’s Dutch operating firm Uber BV does not pay tax in the UK and was “opting out of the UK tax [...]
Does Uber really deserve an F grade from the Better Business Bureau? October 10, 2014 Uber received some bad news on Thursday, receiving an F grade from the 100-year-old Better Business Bureau. The US nonprofit gave the taxi app its lowest possible grade, primarily because of the company's price surging policy. Surge pricing means the price can shoot up when demand rises sharply, such as New Year's eve or during [...]
Ukip must show it can scale like Uber – Editor’s Letter October 9, 2014 In Silicon Valley, tiny businesses with big ambitions get a surprising piece of advice: start things that don’t scale. The journey to grow a disruptive giant such as AirBnB begins in a small market, doing things that baffle the outside world, winning customers with strategies that could never work across a whole country. The trick [...]