Uber banned in New Delhi after driver rape allegations December 8, 2014 Uber has been banned in the Indian capital of New Delhi after one of its drivers was arrested on suspicion of raping a passenger. “[The] Transport Department has banned all activities relating to providing any transport service by the www.Uber.com with immediate effect," the city’s government said in a statement. Indian police arrested the Uber [...]
Uber driver held in India over rape allegations after woman reports assault in Delhi December 7, 2014 Controversial ride hire service Uber was back in the spotlight yesterday after Indian police arrested an Uber cab driver suspected of raping a female passenger and said they would take legal action against Uber for failing to run background checks on him. Police opened an investigation after a 26-year-old woman reported that she had been [...]
Uber delivers Christmas trees on demand in Paris, Dubai and Guadalajara, but not in US cities this year December 7, 2014 Not content with delivering people home after a night out, rideshare service Uber is getting festive. Lucky city dwellers in three cities around the world are being treated to Christmas tree deliveries at the tap of a smartphone in another one of the startup’s marketing ploys. These have also included ice cream delivery in London [...]
Exclusive: “We are the anti-Uber”, says Kabbee CEO Justin Peters December 5, 2014 Yesterday, taxi app company Uber was valued at $40bn (£25.7bn) after it completed a $1.2bn funding round. This year, London has experienced an explosion in the growth of taxi apps, with different services dealing with black cabs, minicabs and other vehicles springing up all over the capital. Speaking to City A.M., Justin Peters, chief executive of [...]
Uber hires Goldman Sachs to power up its fundraising drive December 1, 2014 Uber has hired Goldman Sachs to help it raise funds from some of the bank's richest clients. It is offering financial products that could raise hundreds of billions of dollars, and help aid Uber's future international expansion plans, Fortune has said. This is separate to a previous report from Bloomberg, which said Uber was in [...]
BMW taps into London’s sharing economy: Who else is there? Airbnb, Uber and Zipcar December 1, 2014 Earlier this month, it was revealed the sharing economy could net up to £9bn a year for the UK by 2025. The independent review, commissioned by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, also laid out a road-map to ensure the UK becomes a center for this growing scene. Big businesses are eager to capitalise [...]
Dear Uber drivers: As its Spotify tie-up launches, you’re going to hear way more Kate Bush, One Direction – and Kirsty MacColl November 21, 2014 The tie-up between Spotify and Uber launches today, meaning anyone who gets in an Uber cab can listen to their own tunes. The system works using a feature inside Uber's app which connects to the driver's phone. As long as it is plugged into the sound system, it allows passengers to determine what plays over [...]
Uber hires Hogan Lovells to probe data policies November 21, 2014 Uber has hired Hogan Lovells to review its data policies, amid controversy surrounding its handling of users' private data. It has hired a team of Hogan Lovells lawyers who will review and make recommendations on its data policy. The team will be led by Harriet Pearson, a partner at the law firm's Washington office, who [...]
Ashton Kutcher weighs into Uber spying debacle November 20, 2014 Actor-turned-Demi Moore toyboy-turned-tech investor, Ashton Kutcher gave his tuppence worth to the Uber spying story yesterday. The Dude, Where’s My Car star tweeted, “What is so wrong about digging up dirt on shady journalist?” The reaction from the twittersphere was swift, and it was hard. “Dude Where’s My Orwell,” was one particularly good retort. What [...]
Taxi app wars: Uber vs Hailo vs Maaxi vs Lyft – Emil Michael gaff is latest hurdle in startup battle November 19, 2014 Fast-growing “ridesharing” app firm Uber hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons again this week as senior executive Emil Michael was reported suggesting the company hire researchers to dig up dirt on its media critics. The blunder is the latest in a long line of controversies that have plagued the startup over [...]