Uber launches same-day grocery delivery with no minimum spend August 21, 2014 Uber is branching out from app based taxi hire to same-day grocery delivery services. The pilot programme launched in Washington DC will last just a few weeks but could be extended if proves to be popular. “The more you love it, the more likely it will last,” the company said. The Corner Store service is [...]
Uber’s battle against taxi industry and regulators steps up a gear with Obama adviser on board August 20, 2014 In Uber’s relentless battle against regulators and the taxi industry around the world, a political strategist was considered a crucial element for negotiating roadblocks in the disruptive taxi service’s plans for world domination. Now the search is over, and Uber has no doubt spent a pretty penny of its billions of dollars of investment (which [...]
German ban on Uber car hire overturned August 18, 2014 Germany’s administrative court yesterday overturned a ban on taxi and mini-cab hire app Uber. The ban was imposed by the Berlin State Department of Civil and Regulatory Affairs, which claimed the app could endanger customers as it allowed unverified drivers to pick up customers. Uber argued it provided competition which drove up standards.
Uber ban suspended: Berlin court upholds opposition to taxi app prohibition August 18, 2014 Uber has received some welcome news from Berlin's Administrative Court. Last week, the Berlin State Department of Civil and Regulatory Affairs said Uber risked passenger safety through the use of “unverified drivers in unlicensed vehicles” and consequently banned the popular taxi app. The company had been threatened with fines of up to €25,000 for each [...]
Berlin bans Uber citing passenger safety rules August 14, 2014 THE BATTLE between smartphone car service Uber and city regulators heated up yesterday after the German capital turned against the San Francisco startup and banned the mini cab app on safety grounds. In a press release, the Berlin State Department of Civil and Regulatory Affairs said Uber risked passenger safety through the use of “unverified [...]
Uber banned in Berlin in latest taxi app crackdown August 14, 2014 Uber has been banned in Berlin, according to a press release from the State Office for Public Order of affairs. The press release, issued on Wednesday, said the app-enabled service was in violation of the Passenger Transport Act. The headline of the press release was titled "prohibition order to protect the public". The company has [...]
Uber vs Lyft: Battle over false order claims escalates August 13, 2014 The bitter battle between ridesharing apps Uber and Lyft has been driven to new levels of intensity with both sides accusing the other of foul play. The gloves came off last week when San Francisco start-up Lyft, famous for its eccentric pink moustaches on car bonnets and recommendation that passengers greet their driver with a [...]
Boris Johnson dismisses Uber as “excessively bumptious” August 5, 2014 London Mayor Boris Johnson has criticised the attitude of San-Fransico based firm Uber as "excessively bumptious." Johnson, speaking on LBC, added that he didn't like the way Uber were "moving into London and claiming they could take all this business away from black cabs." The company's rapid growth and penchant for innovation have clearly not conformed [...]
Uber blamed for slump in cab sales August 1, 2014 The supplier of the licensed Mercedes Vito taxi Eco City Vehicles has attributed its slump in revenues to the "uncertainty caused in the London licensed taxi trade by the emergence of Uber". The company's revenues for the six months to July fell by 33 per cent to £11.4m. However, Mayor of London Boris Johnson's proposed [...]
Uber’s tax status slammed by Labour MP August 1, 2014 Chair of the Public Accounts Committee and Labour MP Margaret Hodge has condemned the tax arrangements of the popular taxi app service Uber in a letter to London Mayor Boris Johnson. According to Hodge, Uber has “unfairly undercut London operators by opting out of the UK tax regime". The Labour MP is unhappy that the [...]