uber

Uber car service battles to stay in Colorado

Uber is headed toward another obstacle from city officials, and this time it's in Denver, Colo.

The state's Public Utilities Commission is proposing changes to the rules that regulate motor vehicle transportation, which could essentially shut UberDenver down.

The transportation startup announced today that it's going to fight to keep its service in the state. Uber has created a petition for Colorado residents to sign in support of Uber. The company is also urging locals to e-mail the state's governor, John Hickenlooper, and the chairman and director of the Public Utilities Commission.

"Since our launch … Read more

Uber drives its car service onto the streets of Berlin

Uber began operation in Germany today, giving Berliners their first taste of the fast-growing private car-summoning service.

The service, which the company said is being conducted by "Secret Ubers," is in the testing phase, with more drivers being added each day, Jena Wuu, an international launcher, wrote in a company blog post today. The new service, which allows users to request rides via their smartphones, will apparently be limited to the capital, at least initially.

Interestingly, the service's first passenger was Alexander Ljung, cofounder of the steaming audio host SoundCloud, who was mysteriously "spotted" and … Read more

Uber taxi service goes to Washington, D.C.

Uber started offering its taxi service in Washington, D.C., today, according to the controversial on-call car service's blog.

Uber said the number of taxis are limited for now. "Many taxis don't fit Uber standards, so we are curating our supply pretty carefully," the blog reads.

Uber lets users order cars through its app and put all charges onto an on-file credit card. To request a taxi instead of the usual black sedan, customers need to select "TAXI" in the Uber app. Standard taxi fees apply, and a 20 percent gratuity will be automatically … Read more

Hail-a-cab apps get green light in New York

New York City's Taxi and Limousine Commission voted today in favor of a one-year test program that would let people use a smartphone app to hail a taxicab.

And that was sweet news for startup Uber. The private-car service had begun offering its app to cab users in September but stopped the effort a little more than a month later when the commission raised concerns over a long-standing agreement between the taxicab and for-hire vehicle industries.

That arrangement prohibits prearranged rides in New York's iconic yellow cabs, and members of the for-hire industry had said apps like Uber'… Read more

NYC turns to pilot program for app to hail taxis

Whether people call a taxi or hail one can be a contentious matter in New York City -- because of rules set up between yellow cabs and for-hire vehicles. So, it's no surprise that a smartphone app that lets users beckon yellow cabs has been a topic of hot debate with the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission.

The commission announced Wednesday that it will vote on whether to allow such apps in a pilot program, according to the New York Times. The vote is scheduled for Thursday. Update December 13 at 10:04 a.m. PT: On … Read more

Uber on the road to reconciliation in D.C. with new legislation

Embattled private car service Uber appears to be making inroads in Washington, D.C.

After a series of conflicts with regulators in the nation's capital, the quickly growing startup that lets people request rides via their smartphones scored a victory yesterday when the city council unanimously approved a legislative framework for "digital dispatch" transportation services.

The "Public Vehicle-for-Hire Innovation Amendment Act" (PDF) amends the D.C. Taxicab Commission Establishment Act of 1985 -- the rules under which taxis operate in the city -- to include a separate class of for-hire vehicles and sedans that operate … Read more

Uber-style private jet service goes live

BlackJet, the private plane charter service modeled after Uber cab, is available for use -- if you have a bunch of money to throw around and a super-secret invite code.

First noticed by TNW, BlackJet tweeted its live status today, drawing a few interested flyers who wanted an invite code. The company's Twtter account didn't answer, of course. It's too exclusive for that.

It's probably best that most of us won't know what were missing -- the cost of the required membership for the service starts at $2,000. Passengers reportedly will then pay $950 … Read more

Uber faces new legal challenge, at home in San Francisco

It looks like Uber has yet another legal hurdle to surmount, this time on its home turf in San Francisco.

The popular ride-summoning startup, which has recently dealt with regulatory challenges in Washington D.C., New York, and Chicago, is now being sued in San Francisco by the city's cab drivers, who are claiming unfair business practices.

The fast-growing service, which allows customers to use smartphones to arrange transportation in several U.S. cities, announced last month that in the San Francisco market it was testing out a taxi service option within the Uber app, alongside its existing sedan … Read more

Uber gives free ride to voters

Whoever said there's no such thing as a free ride hasn't seen Uber's latest promotion.

The car-service booking app, which came under fire last week for boosting prices in New York in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, says today that it's going to give free rides to voters tomorrow. It's pairing up with Rock the Vote to offer the promotion, accessed with code VOTEUBER.

There are a few catches to this offer, though. First of all, it's only open to people who've never used Uber before. And the free ride is only valid … Read more