Uber transformed the concept of a taxi service when it first arrived. It was an app-based firm, that let you connect with everyday people and pay for lifts. It is now the biggest cab company in the world, but it did not arrive at this point without controversy. In this article, we tell you its history.
How often do you call an Uber in a week? The service is now universal, though it is still fairly young. It was one of the first service to allow you into the gig economy and cut costs for travellers. Yet it was not without resistance. Below, you will find out the history of Uber and how it became so popular so quickly.
The growth of Uber
Uber now seems like part of the fabric of life. But only ten years ago it was an innovative, revolutionary service. Instead of calling a taxi company, you would go on the app and get a person to give you a lift. You paid them through the application itself, often meaning you didn’t have to pay the fees and prices associated with traditional cab companies. For drivers, selecting the ideal car for Uber driving is just as important, with electric vehicles like the MG 4 offering both cost-efficiency and environmental benefits, making them a popular choice among Uber drivers.
As well as the unique service it provides, Uber has conducted an excellent marketing campaign to increase its market share. The headlines about it being banned in states and countries have only added fuel to this, bringing it to the attention of more people across the globe.
The company has also partnered with brands and launched collaborative schemes to extend its reach. It has allowed people the ability to claim a free uber gift card in partnerships with well-known companies such as BrandBee. All of this has been added to affiliate schemes and great customer service reviews to increase its online marketing projects.
The conception of Uber
Uber was only conceived in 2009, making it a mere 15 years old. Silicon Valley workers Garret Camp and Travis Kalanick were attending a tech conference together. Unable to get a taxi home on a snowy evening, they ruminated on the concept of ordering one from their device. From this, they began to concoct the idea of a high-end limo service. On returning, Garret began formulating his plan for what would become Uber, later inviting Kalanick to come and join him.
The first test began in New York in 2010. It had a fleet of a mere three taxis. Its official launch took place in May of that year in San Francisco. In many ways, it was a genius idea to launch in San Fran. The city is heavy on technology businesses and the people who work in them. Many of these people also don’t possess cars and prefer to use taxis and the public transport system. Thus, the idea of ordering from your phone fits the lifestyle of the city perfectly. By 2012, it would be in three European cities and operating across the US.
Opposition to Uber
In May 2022, New York was one of the first cities that would fiercely defend its industry against Uber. Many thought it threatened the very existence of the iconic New York cab and the people who worked it. This would be a similar theme in many places that Uber arrived in.
Much of this was down to the fact that Uber ran off the concept of a gig economy. People conducted a service, they got paid, and Uber were just the middlemen connecting them. Thus, Uber drivers often did not stick to the laws put in place for taxi drivers. This could be regarding the safety of their vehicles and how they treat customers in general.
India was one of the countries where Uber would face the most hostility. They even told drivers via internal emails that they would always face resistance here and they should get used to it. However, when allegations of serious sexual assault against customers arose, Uber was forced to make changes to the safety of customers and begin making checks on rivers that used the service.
After floating on the stock market in 2019, Uber’s troubles would only get worse. An investigation by The Guardian newspaper in the UK found evidence of 124,000 internal documents that showed how the company had lobbied governments, lied to police and ignored laws between the years of 2013 to 2017. This resulted in a large backlash against the company.
What made Uber so popular?
The culture of the Silicon Valley start-up at the time when Uber exploded onto the scene was to “Move fast and break things” in an expression of shaking up the status quo. It was this mantra that Uber lived by and one that made them so huge.
While the technology and ability to hail a taxi from your phone was innovative, the true power of Uber lay in its pricing. It was low cost at a time when taxi travel was increasingly expensive. It also offered a way for people to make money easily on the side, as the cost of living across the world began to gradually creep up.
However, it was this desire to rip up the rules that could have been its undoing. In many ways, allowing anyone to be a taxi driver left customers vulnerable and to many, that was unacceptable. It would even find resistance from its drivers, who began to demand better working conditions that were more in line with a traditional job than the gig economy model they had envisioned. Now, Uber has had to step in line and has become more akin to a traditional taxi company, albeit with big tech backing it. Regardless, it is here to stay and if it isn’t available in your location, it soon will be.
