Download the smartphone app, choose a car, confirm the location. Within minutes, there is a driver waiting outside. This fast and efficient transportation system, Uber, provides a new and trendy car service in 45 countries and 100 cities.
Due to its recent success, the developers of Uber are broadening the spectrum of their franchise to include new amenities, such as rickshaws and personal delivery options.
Uber customers attach credit cards to online accounts accessible on mobile phones, and can pay both the initial payment and gratuity for drivers directly from their smartphone.
“Using Uber is really easy because I don’t have to worry about carrying around enough money, since the payment is made through the app and there is always a car nearby,” Convent of the Sacred Heart junior Madison Miles said.
According to blog.uber.com, entrepreneurs Mr. Garrett Camp, Mr. Oscar Salazar, and Mr. Travis Kalanick created Uber as a solution for the lack of taxis in their hometown of San Francisco, California.
The co-founders plan on expanding the company after seeing the success of its regular transportation service.
Due to the traffic and the heavy population of less developed cities in Colombia, India, Indonesia and Peru. Uber will soon begin to use rickshaws, which are two or three-wheeled vehicles pulled by bicycles, instead of high-end black cars to facilitate efficient transportation in these cities, according to CNN.
“I was in Lima two years ago and I think that it is a great idea for Uber to add rickshaw instead of their SUVs. Riding in an open bike is refreshing and most Peruvians are outdoors-y and found in beach gear during the day anyways, since Lima is on the water,” senior Caroline Burch said.
Uber has also expanded to include personal delivery services. For example, uberESSENTIALS in Washington, DC and uberFRESH in Los Angeles, California provide clients with immediate accessibility to daily products and meals, according to CNN.
“FedEx isn’t going to your nearest pharmacy and delivering something to you in five minutes. We’re also doing something called Uber Fresh, which is you push a button and you get a lunch in five minutes,” chief executive officer Mr. Kalanick said, according to CNN.
Although Uber is currently receiving excellent customer reviews in Apple’s App Store, the company is having difficulty expanding into large cities, according to CNN. For example, in Miami, Florida, Uber is unable to provide cars because of the state’s government restrictions that protect taxicabs from competition.
Nevertheless, Uber’s customers remain content with its current mission and eagerly anticipate the launch of the company’s new amenities.
-Cori Gabaldon, Staff Writer