Articles tagged “uber”

Did Uber's valuation just tick up a billion dollars or so? Google's patent for transportation-aware restaurant ads coupled with free taxi service turns online ads into a concierge service of sorts that will deepen ties between taxi services and restaurants and other businesses.

Bring it on, 2014.

We like it when these people make headlines.

As we noted yesterday, if Uber is going to be the on-demand solution to all our transportation needs, it will need to take a few lessons from Amazon on how to do customer service.

The deliveries are stunts, but they're also testing the waters for Uber's expansion into on-demand services either in addition to or in replacement of their existing car hailing business.

Uber's savvy promotion of UberX is an exercise in marketing and up-selling. Passengers would have to pay the fare if it exceeds $30, and if frustrated with so many people trying for the freebies, than passengers are urged to try Uber's higher-fare services.

Jeffery Boyd doesn't want to meddle in Priceline's business on a day to day basis, which may provide angst to some investors. Still, incoming CEO Darren Huston has capably led Priceline's prized asset, Booking.com, over the last two years, so he's got the pedigree in what promises to be a fascinating new era in online travel.

The taxi industry is going to have to get used to it. There is more competition now in the form of Lyft, Uber, and services such as Zipcar. Although individual startups may come and go, the ride-sharing concept is here to stay.

Car-hailing apps are the hot thing in ground transportation, but they'll need a big market to succeed. We see a few glimpses of that here, as well as a few things that could be speedbumps for the services.