Uber has already dipped its toes into the world of delivery service. First with limited-time deliveries of sometimes-melted ice cream and cuddly kittens. Now the service aims to provide everyday items for consumers who just can’t make it to one of the many convenience stores littering the nation’s capital. [More]
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Lyft Claims Uber Employees Requested Then Canceled 5,600 Rides
By 8.12.14
People cancel car service requests for any number of reasons – change of plans, not ready in time, trying to sabotage the company. Wait, what? Officials with ride-sharing service Lyft allege that reps for rival company Uber attempted to hurt Lyft by requesting-and-canceling thousands of rides. [More]
Uber And Lyft Now Open For Business In Houston
By 8.7.14
When Uber and Lyft opened for business in Houston, the same thing happened that has happened in many cities with existing livery industries: taxi companies freaked out and sought help from the city government. Now both ride-sharing services are open for business in the city, with some additional rules in place that are intended to help traditional taxi companies compete with them. [More]
Uber’s New “UberPool” Sets Users Up With Strangers To Share A Ride, Split The Cost
By 8.6.14
Zipping around town telling a car where to go is a lovely luxury and all, but let’s face it — not everyone can afford to pay for a solo drive all the time. While you can already split rides with a friend traveling in your same car, soon Uber users will be able to share rides with perfect strangers using Uber Pool. [More]
Uber Passenger Complains Of Spider Bite In “Filthy” Car
By 7.30.14
On Friday, the state of North Carolina received its first complaint against the app-based ride-sharing service Uber. The customer’s complaint? His driver arrived late in a “filthy” vehicle, and there were spiders inside the car. Which bit him. The spiders, that is, not the car. As far as we know. [More]
A Tale Of Two Uber Ice Creams: It Was The Best Of Times, It Was The Meltiest Of Times
By 7.18.14
I scream, you scream, we all want to make loud noises over that frozen dessert made of sweetened milk fat. So hearing that Uber is offering an on-demand ice cream delivery in certain cities today is no doubt quickening many hearts. But at $5 a pop, is the stuff even good? [More]
Three Men Allege They Were Kidnapped By Washington D.C. Uber Driver, Taken On 10-Minute High Speed Chase
By 7.10.14
It’s not just Washington D.C., taxi drivers who allegedly kidnap passengers. Three out-of-town visitors allege they were kidnapped and taken on a high speed chase after hopping in an UberBlack car in the city earlier this week. [More]
Uber Agrees To Not Gouge Riders During Emergencies & Natural Disasters
By 7.8.14
One of the nice things about ride-sharing services like Uber is that the company can compete against taxi cabs by charging decent rates. But the fact that Uber rates are dynamic and can go up in times of high demand means the door could be open to gouging in situations where other transportation options are not available. [More]
Taxi Drivers Muck Up Traffic In European Streets To Protest Uber
By 6.11.14
Traditional taxi cab drivers in Europe have apparently found a natural enemy in Uber, the seem to have found a natural enemy in Uber, the on-demand car service connected to a smartphone app. In protest against their rivals, hundreds of taxi drivers clogged up traffic in the streets of London, Paris, Berlin and more. [More]
Uber & Lyft Will Defy Order From Virginia DMV To Stop Picking Up Passengers
By 6.6.14
The Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles made its feelings about ride-sharing services Uber and Lyft very clear yesterday, telling them in no uncertain terms to cease operations in the state until they obtain the proper permits. But both companies say they are doing nothing wrong and will keep on picking up (and presumably dropping off) passengers. [More]
Uber Driver With Battery Conviction Charged With Punching Passenger
By 6.4.14
Ride-sharing service Uber is already drawing fire from established taxi and livery services who allege that its drivers are not held to the same standards as professional drivers. So it’s not great news that one of its drivers has not only been arrested for allegedly punching a passenger, but that he has a criminal history that does not bode well for one in this line of work. [More]
Uber To Tack On $1 “Safe Rides Fee”
By 4.18.14
Getting a ride via UberX, a service that pairs up those in need of a lift with pre-screened drivers in the area willing to give them that lift, is getting slightly more expensive, as the company adds a one dollar Safe Rides Fee. [More]
Guy Games Uber’s Referral System, Racks Up $50K In Free Rides (That He Didn’t Get To Keep)
By 4.10.14
Much like taking out your parents’ Porsche for a joyride, you can’t get away with doing something you’re not supposed to be doing forever. Like gaming the Uber car service’s referral system by signing up strangers so you can rack up $50,000 in ride credits. [More]
Uber Tired Of Customers Using Cars As Couriers, Begins Testing Actual Courier Service
By 4.8.14
One could argue that Uber is a type of courier service, right? They’ve delivered Christmas Trees, kittens to brighten your day and of course shuttled you across the city. Well, you won’t have to argue the merits of that point anymore now that the company has officially began testing Uber Rush – an actual courier service. [More]
Innovations In Ride-Sharing: Lyft Introduces The Opposite Of Surge Pricing
By 3.18.14
One of the controversial features of car-summoning app Uber is that the company modulates supply and demand for rides with surge pricing. Think about all of the times that it’s hard to get a cab: Uber solves this problem by hiking rates, incentivizing drivers to stay on the road, and incentivizing people without money to take the bus. This approach is controversial, and competitor Lyft is seeking attention by doing the exact opposite. [More]
True Confessions Of A Temporary UberX Driver
By 2.28.14
If you’re 23 or older, have a driver’s license and car insurance, and have a nice, clean late-model four-door car, you can sign up to drive strangers around for UberX. Should you? Well, it depends on your feelings about voyeurism, cash, and people eating in your car. [More]
Family Of 6-Year-Old Girl Hit By Uber Driver Suing The Company For Wrongful Death
By 1.28.14
The family of a six-year-old girl who was struck and killed during a traffic accident in San Francisco involving an Uber driver is now suing the company for wrongful death. But Uber claims that because the driver didn’t have anyone in his car at the time, the company isn’t responsible. [More]
Why Picking Up Extra Money Through Ride-sharing May Not Be So Wise
By 1.27.14
Ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft have been in the news lately, mostly because of the controversial pricing structure and clashes with the taxi industry that these companies are trying so hard to disrupt. If all of this coverage has made you think, “Hey, I want to drive strangers around for some extra cash,” that’s possible with Lyft or the lower-end UberX service. There may be a danger that you hadn’t anticipated, though. [More]
