Difference between revisions of "Uber"
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| − | '''Uber, Inc.''' is a ride-hailing company that can be used on mobile devices such as [[iOS]] and [[Android]]. Founded in 2009, the company now offers | + | '''Uber, Inc.''' is a ride-hailing company that can be used on mobile devices such as [[iOS]] and [[Android]]. Founded in 2009, the company now offers rides to users in 67 different countries in over 300 different cities across the world. The company's headquarters are located in San Francisco, California. <ref>Our Cities https://go.uber.com/cities</ref> As of late 2015, Uber was valued at approximately $62.5 billion. <ref>Uber Raises Funding at $62.5 Billion Valuation, Eric Newcomer, 3 December 2015 http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-12-03/uber-raises-funding-at-62-5-valuation</ref> As a pioneer in the ride-hailing car industry, Uber has exposed itself to a myriad of ethical implications, namely in privacy, legality, and employee concerns. |
==History== | ==History== | ||
Revision as of 01:55, 20 April 2016
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Uber, Inc. is a ride-hailing company that can be used on mobile devices such as iOS and Android. Founded in 2009, the company now offers rides to users in 67 different countries in over 300 different cities across the world. The company's headquarters are located in San Francisco, California. [1] As of late 2015, Uber was valued at approximately $62.5 billion. [2] As a pioneer in the ride-hailing car industry, Uber has exposed itself to a myriad of ethical implications, namely in privacy, legality, and employee concerns.
Contents
History
In 2008, Garrett Camp, the founder of StumbleUpon, wanted to solve the "taxi problem" in San Francisco, CA. He approached entrepreneur Travis Kalanick, and the two created the initial prototype UberCab in March 2009. The service was test-launched in New York City in January 2010 with 3 cars. In July 2010, UberCab went live in San Francisco. The company changed its formal name to Uber in October 2010. That November, Uber was added to Android phones.
In December 2010, Ryan Graves stepped down as Chief Executive Officer, and Travis Kalanick stepped in as CEO. Graves became Chief Operations Officer. By February 2011, the company had raised over $11 million in funds from different investors. Uber was launched in New York City in May 2011. By the end of that year, Uber had raised over an additional $35 million.
In July 2012, Uber launched UberX, a hybrid vehicle service that is cheaper. By April 2014, Uber's services were offered in over 100 cities. [3]
Application Features
Requesting a Ride
Users must first create an Uber account linked to a phone number and credit card. When requesting a ride, Uber uses GPS tracking on iOS and Android devices in order to determine the location of the user. Uber then connects you with the nearest driver based on your location. The name of the driver, their rating, and their car will appear on your device, and Uber will text your phone when your driver has arrived. You can track your driver's status on the application's map. Users will receive an estimated time of arrival, and can share this ETA with their contacts if they wish. Passengers can also allow someone in their contacts to monitor their Uber trip to make sure that they safely arrive at their location. [4]
Different Cars
UberX
UberX is Uber's most basic car service. This service seats 4 people and cars are made in 2000 or newer. [5]
UberXL
UberXL offers a car service that seats 6 people. These cars are either SUVs or MiniVans. UberXL has a higher base fare than UberX. [6]
UberSelect
UberSelect allows users to ride in a luxury sedan that has leather interior with up to 4 passengers. Base fare pricing is higher for UberSelect than for UberXL. [7]
UberBlack (Black Car)
UberBlack is a step up from UberSelect, and is advertised as Uber's executive luxury service. UberBlack has the highest base fare price out of all the options. [8]
UberPOOL
UberPOOL allows users to share a ride with others that are headed in the same direction. This service is currently only offered in New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Paris. When users select UberPOOL, they will be matched with another user in the area headed to a nearby location. The ride fare is split between the two users. [9]
Pricing
Uber will offer fare estimates in advance if you wish to know approximately how much your ride will cost. When your ride is complete, Uber will automatically charge it to your credit card. Users do not need to carry a card or any cash for the ride or for a tip. [10]Different cities may have different base fares and prices depending on the speed at which the car drives. If the car drives above 11mph, the cost of the ride is based solely on distance traveled. If the driver is moving at a speed under 11mph, then the cost of the ride is dependent on the time of the ride. [11]
When demand for Uber rides increases significantly, Uber uses an algorithm to implement surge pricing. Surge pricing will raise the base fare by a certain amount based on demand, and users will have to take an additional step when requesting an Uber to confirm that they agree to surge pricing. Just as base fares for Uber vary by city, so too do surge prices affect cities differently. [12]
Uber offers a split fare feature as well, where users can divide the cost of the ride among the passengers. Uber charges an additional $0.25 for every that requests to split a fare.[13]
Ratings and Reviews
Uber requires drivers to rate their passengers after their trip, and requires passengers to rate their drivers. If drivers receive a very low rating, Uber will contact the passenger to receive a full report of the ride. If users or drivers have low ratings, their waiting time for customers or for drivers may increase.
Ethical Issues
Privacy
Uber faces two separate issues in regards to privacy. The first concerns the privacy of Uber's customers. In the past few years, Uber has received a lot of backlash when it was disclosed that Uber can track the location of its users, even when users are not actively using the application. This tool is known as 'God View.' Uber continues to claim that the company has the right to use constant location tracking in order to determine customer demand and other factors that affect their services. However, many feel that Uber is tracking users for no apparent reason. In one specific case, a journalist was tracked for no business purpose. [14] Many users feel that their privacy is violated through this Ubiquitous Computing. Users must have location services turned on on their mobile devices in order for Uber to track location. [15]
The second privacy controversy relates to Uber's employees, particularly their drivers. In 2014, Uber experienced a data breach, where over 50,000 employee names and license plates were retrieved. Uber only released a statement about this data breach six months after the incident. Employees with identities at risk were offered free identity protection services for a year following. [16]
Employee Concerns
Uber has been in the spotlight for multiple sexual assault charges against their drivers. In 2015, investigations revealed at least 25 California drivers that had criminal records, such as burglary or sexual assault, due to a lack of a thorough background check. [17] This resulted in a lawsuit against Uber and the creation of a new competing app, Chariot for Women, which is a personal driver app designed for women and children in order to have a safer experience.
Competition
In 2014, Uber documents were released exposing them for sabotaging their competitors. Uber employees would create accounts and request rides, only to cancel them. This tactic makes it hard for genuine customers to access drivers. Even more seriously, Uber employees reportedly offered cash incentives to competitor employees to leave the company. [18] Uber's lack of "business ethics" has given customers second thoughts about using the application for these ethical reasons.
Legality
Additionally, Uber has received many lawsuits claiming that they are an unlicensed taxi company, and are putting taxi drivers out of business. In order to be a legal taxi driver in many cities, individuals must pay for extremely expensive medallions in order to be a licensed driver. Uber drivers do not need to pay for such a thing. [19] As a result, many cities and taxi companies have begun to fight Uber in legal battles, or have begun to enact laws to limit Uber's scope of service. Uber continues to fight these battles in court. [20]
References
- ↑ Our Cities https://go.uber.com/cities
- ↑ Uber Raises Funding at $62.5 Billion Valuation, Eric Newcomer, 3 December 2015 http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-12-03/uber-raises-funding-at-62-5-valuation
- ↑ A Brief History of Uber, Julian Chokkattu, Jordan Crook, 14 August 2014 http://techcrunch.com/gallery/a-brief-history-of-uber/
- ↑ https://go.uber.com/ride/
- ↑ What’s the difference between UberX, XL, UberSelect, and Black Car?, Dough, 16 November 2014 http://www.ridesharingdriver.com/whats-the-difference-between-uberx-xl-uberplus-and-black-car/
- ↑ What’s the difference between UberX, XL, UberSelect, and Black Car?, Dough, 16 November 2014 http://www.ridesharingdriver.com/whats-the-difference-between-uberx-xl-uberplus-and-black-car/
- ↑ What’s the difference between UberX, XL, UberSelect, and Black Car?, Dough, 16 November 2014 http://www.ridesharingdriver.com/whats-the-difference-between-uberx-xl-uberplus-and-black-car/
- ↑ What’s the difference between UberX, XL, UberSelect, and Black Car?, Dough, 16 November 2014 http://www.ridesharingdriver.com/whats-the-difference-between-uberx-xl-uberplus-and-black-car/
- ↑ What’s UberPOOL? A shared ride that’s cheaper than other Uber services, Dough, 12 March 2015 http://www.ridesharingdriver.com/whats-uberpool-shared-ride-cheaper-than-other-uber-services/
- ↑ https://go.uber.com/ride/
- ↑ Uber Pulls in Another $32M for App-based Car Service, Krystal Peak, 7 December 2011 http://vator.tv/news/2011-12-07-uber-pulls-in-another-32m-for-app-based-car-service
- ↑ Worth It? An App to Get a Cab, Lauren Goode, 17 June 2011 http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2011/06/17/worth-it-an-app-to-get-a-cab/
- ↑ https://go.uber.com/ride/
- ↑ Senator Al Franken Asks Uber’s CEO Tough Questions On User Privacy, John Biggs, 19 November 2014 http://techcrunch.com/2014/11/19/senator-al-franken-asks-ubers-ceo-tough-questions-on-user-privacy/?ncid=rss
- ↑ Uber May Track You 24/7, Aaron Smith, 23 June 2015 http://money.cnn.com/2015/06/23/technology/uber-ftc-complaint-tracking/
- ↑ 50,000 Uber Driver Names, License Numbers Exposed in a Data Breach, Megan Geuss, 28 February 2015 http://arstechnica.com/business/2015/02/50000-uber-driver-names-license-plate-numbers-exposed-in-a-data-breach/
- ↑ DA: major flaws in Uber background checks allow criminal drivers, Carolyn Said, 19 August 2015 http://www.sfchronicle.com/business/article/DA-major-flaws-in-Uber-background-checks-allow-6453865.php?t=128a1259eb7d4f3860&cmpid=email-premium
- ↑ Uber Employees Spammed Competing Car Service with Fake Orders, Dante D'Orazio, 24 January 2014 http://www.theverge.com/2014/1/24/5342582/uber-employees-spammed-competing-car-service-with-fake-orders
- ↑ The Big Idea Behind the Battle Between Uber and Yellow Cabs, Jeffrey Tucker, 24 October 2015 http://www.newsweek.com/big-idea-behind-battle-between-uber-and-yellow-cabs-386650
- ↑ Uber CEO: I Think I've Got 20,000 Years Of Jail Time In Front Of Me, MG Siegler, 25 May 2011 http://techcrunch.com/2011/05/25/uber-airbnb-jail-time/
