Tech #Crunchies 2014: Uber named best overall startup of the year February 6, 2015 Uber's success drove it into first place at the tech Crunchie awards in San Francisco this morning. The taxi-app company picked up the prize for “Best Overall Startup in 2014” at the event, beating runners up GoPro and SnapChat to the title. Uber was founded six years ago and has grown over [...]
Delivering people isn’t Uber’s $40bn dream – Bottom Line February 3, 2015 If Uber floated on the London Stock Exchange tomorrow – don’t hold your breath – it would be the thirteenth largest FTSE 100 constituent. Its $40bn (£26.3bn) valuation is larger than that of Twitter ($24.7bn) or Adobe ($35bn). News that Uber is exploring self-driving cars, mapping and vehicle safety shouldn’t surprise those who watch the [...]
Uber and Google rivalry heating up as both target driverless cars February 3, 2015 Controversial ride-hire app Uber is planning to research self-driving cars by partnering with a leading US university, a move that could put it in competition with its shareholder Google. Google has been exploring driverless cars since 2010 and now has a fully functioning prototype that it plans to begin testing on San Francisco roads this [...]
Uber partners with CMU to open self-driving taxi lab in Pittsburgh, US February 3, 2015 Uber has partnered with Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) in the US to open a robotics lab for the development of driverless cars. Called the Uber Advanced Technologies Center, the purpose of the research centre is to develop long-term technologies that allow Uber to bring “safe, reliable transportation to everyone, everywhere,” according to the driver-on-demand service. [...]
Uber raises $1.6bn from Goldman Sachs clients January 21, 2015 Uber has raised $1.6 billion in financing from the clients of Goldman Sachs’s private wealth arm, adding even more cash to its ever-expanding pile. This comes months after the popular taxi-app raised $1.2 billion from big institutions, and one investment valued the company at a weighty $41.2 billion, the Financial Times reported. The cash will be used [...]
Uber promises 50,000 new EU jobs if regulators play ball January 18, 2015 UBER boss Travis Kalanick yesterday vowed to create 50,000 new jobs in Europe this year, but only if regulators in European cities start working with Uber to introduce “progressive regulation” allowing the growth of ridesharing apps. “Uber is committed to establishing new partnerships with Europe’s cities to ensure innovation, harness powerful economic benefits and promote [...]
Uber’s Travis Kalanick wants to create 50,000 jobs in Europe January 18, 2015 Uber's chief executive Travis Kalanick has delivered a major speech on the company's future in Europe. Kalanick announced 2015 would the year that Uber worked with city authorities across Europe to introduce "progressive regulation" and work to update analogue rules. This follows the approach Uber has taken in the US. Uber's top boss struck a [...]
ECJ deals bitter blow to Addison Lee as black cabs retain exclusive right to bus lanes January 14, 2015 London's black cabs have retained the exclusive right to share the capital's bus lanes as a result of a ruling by the European Court of Justice (ECJ). Eventech, the owner of a minicab fleet used by Addison Lee, brought the case to the ECJ after losing at the High Court. The company decided to fight [...]
London cabbies demand government clampdown on Uber’s tax arrangements January 13, 2015 Over 20,000 taxi and minicab drivers are demanding the government clamp down on American taxi app service Uber in what may be the first major conflict between cabbies and Uber in London this year. The drivers, many of whom are represented by the Licensed Private Hire Car (LPHCA), say they want to put an end [...]
Uber slashes prices in 48 US cities and guarantees drivers greater pay January 9, 2015 Taxi app company Uber has announced plans to cut prices in 48 cities. Despite Uber's massive growth, it is still facing intense competition from rivals such as Lyft and Sidecar. This is all good news for taxi riders who will benefit from Uber's sharp price cuts. However, it's not just Uber customers who will gain financially [...]