Uber starts the year with price cuts

If you use Uber regularly, you might notice a drop in prices recently. And that isn’t a fluke. At the start of the year, Uber drops prices in over 100 Canadian and US cities to encourage the riding public to use the service. January is a slow month for Uber with the cold weather and people staying in and trying to save money. It wasn't specificied in their announcement how much Uber cuts in terms of prices, though, as it differs in every city.

Uber promises that their drivers won’t be taken advantage of either. According to the company’s press release on the announcement: “Higher demand means more time moving people, less time spent waiting around and more money for drivers. And if drivers aren’t busier, prices will go back up again. In addition, we are guaranteeing earnings for drivers to ensure that no one is disadvantaged.” In some cities where they dropped prices, driver earnings have increased year after year. But there are also some drawbacks in certain cities. They promise though to try new things to help out both riders and drivers.

Source: Uber

Uber celebrates its billionth ride

Disruptive transport service and app Uber recently completed its billionth ride in London, England. The company, which is quite remarkable for a company that was launched in 2010 and is now operating across the globe.

Uber has been met with resistance in a number of countries, including right here in Toronto, Canada where it has faced off against traditional taxi services. Despite these challenges, Uber has a valuation of US $56 billion plus a sustained momentum due to the convenience and general reliability. Uber allows subscribers to the app to instantly find various types of taxis, SUVs or limousines and payments are handled via the app which also serves as a rating system for both riders and passengers. Uber has also launched UberEats, which aims to change the way food delivery is done in certain cities.

Source: Engadget via AutoBlog

eCab App launches with Royal Taxi in Toronto

By Sonya Davidson

This morning in Toronto, cabbies are staging a demonstration to push city officials for more regulations on car-on-demand app-based service Uber. As they clog up major routes into the city core, taxi drivers are speaking on the morning news about how approximately 50% of their fares have been lost since consumers have been switching over to Uber services. 

Click to read more ...

Uber now has its own mapping cars

Uber’s latest ambitions include entering the autonomous driving space and improving data routing collection. They’re taking steps for both with its new mapping efforts. Uber mapping vehicles have been already been spotted in the US. The company may have missed out on buying Nokia’s HERE mapping service but they acquired Bing’s mapping assets and its team members. And this acquisition is helping them work on improving ETAs and boost routing technology within the driver’s app. Right now they make use of a combination of Google Maps and a proprietary routing algorithm.

Another reason for the ramped up mapping efforts is to support Uber’s bid into the autonomous car space. There are fleets of mapping vehicles near Uber’s Advanced Technology Centers at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and near the University of Arizona that make use of the company’s proprietary technology to capture images for routing and safety needs of its autonomous cars.

Source: BuzzFeed | Via: Android Central