uber

NYC turns to pilot program for app to hail taxis

Whether people call a taxi or hail one can be a contentious matter in New York City -- because of rules set up between yellow cabs and for-hire vehicles. So, it's no surprise that a smartphone app that lets users beckon yellow cabs has been a topic of hot debate with the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission.

The commission announced Wednesday that it will vote on whether to allow such apps in a pilot program, according to the New York Times. The vote is scheduled for Thursday. Update December 13 at 10:04 a.m. PT: On … Read more

Uber on the road to reconciliation in D.C. with new legislation

Embattled private car service Uber appears to be making inroads in Washington, D.C.

After a series of conflicts with regulators in the nation's capital, the quickly growing startup that lets people request rides via their smartphones scored a victory yesterday when the city council unanimously approved a legislative framework for "digital dispatch" transportation services.

The "Public Vehicle-for-Hire Innovation Amendment Act" (PDF) amends the D.C. Taxicab Commission Establishment Act of 1985 -- the rules under which taxis operate in the city -- to include a separate class of for-hire vehicles and sedans that operate … Read more

Uber-style private jet service goes live

BlackJet, the private plane charter service modeled after Uber cab, is available for use -- if you have a bunch of money to throw around and a super-secret invite code.

First noticed by TNW, BlackJet tweeted its live status today, drawing a few interested flyers who wanted an invite code. The company's Twtter account didn't answer, of course. It's too exclusive for that.

It's probably best that most of us won't know what were missing -- the cost of the required membership for the service starts at $2,000. Passengers reportedly will then pay $950 … Read more

Uber faces new legal challenge, at home in San Francisco

It looks like Uber has yet another legal hurdle to surmount, this time on its home turf in San Francisco.

The popular ride-summoning startup, which has recently dealt with regulatory challenges in Washington D.C., New York, and Chicago, is now being sued in San Francisco by the city's cab drivers, who are claiming unfair business practices.

The fast-growing service, which allows customers to use smartphones to arrange transportation in several U.S. cities, announced last month that in the San Francisco market it was testing out a taxi service option within the Uber app, alongside its existing sedan … Read more

Uber gives free ride to voters

Whoever said there's no such thing as a free ride hasn't seen Uber's latest promotion.

The car-service booking app, which came under fire last week for boosting prices in New York in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, says today that it's going to give free rides to voters tomorrow. It's pairing up with Rock the Vote to offer the promotion, accessed with code VOTEUBER.

There are a few catches to this offer, though. First of all, it's only open to people who've never used Uber before. And the free ride is only valid … Read more

Storm surge: Uber just doubled car service pricing in NYC

New Yorkers already are having a tough time getting around in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, but Uber just made it a little harder, at least on the wallet.

The company, which provides an app for locating and booking car service, says today that it has reinstated "Surge Pricing" in the city. Basically what that means is car drivers can charge astronomical fees to shuttle riders around. Yesterday, that would have been about double the normal fare, based on what Uber ended up paying drivers.

In New York, where public transportation has been hobbled by the natural disaster, … Read more

Private jet flying, Uber-style

Those wanting to fly private may soon have a new option: reserving a jet, Uber-style.

In recent months, Uber has made waves in cities around the world with its on-call private car service -- riders simply pull up Uber's app, push a button saying they need a ride, and before they know it, a car arrives to whisk them away, and the fee is automatically charged to a credit card.

Now, according to AllThingsD, StumbleUpon founder and Uber co-founder Garrett Camp is leading a funding round in the single-digit millions, as well as product development, for a new company … Read more

AOL's twist on e-mail: You've got stacks

Thursday's CNET Update is checking your away message:

Just when you've given up all hope of having an organized inbox, along comes AOL with a new e-mail client called Alto. Today's tech news roundup looks at how Alto manages multiple accounts and sorts messages into stacks. The service is in beta test now (so you have to sign up for an invite to try it), but it could be open to everyone by February.

In other news, Yelp is cracking down on companies that pay for reviews. If Yelp sees that a business is trying to inflate … Read more

Uber hails arrival of its taxi service in San Francisco

A day after conceding defeat in the Big Apple, Uber is bringing its taxi service to the City by the Bay.

The private car-summoning company announced today that it is bringing its cab-hailing service to San Francisco, allowing customers to request a taxi via an app on their iOS or Android device. At the end of a customer's ride, the driver will input the fare appearing on the cab's meter into an Uber iPhone -- along with a 20 percent gratuity and a $1 booking fee -- to determine the final charge, which is then billed to … Read more