Nowadays, catching a bus isn’t the thing we often do. What we tend to do is simply take out our phones and order an Uber. Is way much easier, you don’t have to worry about where you are or what time is. Uber could get you from wherever you are to wherever you want. Uber Technologies Inc. is an American tech company that has their headquarters in San Francisco. The Uber app could take you from one place to another, or they could bring your groceries and food to the front step of your house. Uber was recently founded in March 2009, about eight years ago, along with their former CEO Travis Kalanick, and Garrett Camp.
For the past month, there has been an increase of Uber users, due to all those flat fares and promotions. Users of this app may rate drivers, as well as drivers to the users; from the scale of 1 to 5 stars. Uber offers different kinds of services such as UberPool, where you can ride with other people and share the fare. Another service is the UberX; you get to have your private ride and get faster home since they don’t have to drop/pick someone else. UberEats is an easy way to get your food delivered in front of your house. You can choose from hundreds of restaurants. Prices may vary depending on your location, but it is usually between 5-8 dollars.
This year has been a rough year for Uber, due to the high profile of sexual harassment between the drivers and the users. Recently, Uber prices had been dropping. That's a good thing for users but not so good for Uber drivers and the company itself. If you live in San Francisco and you use Uber a lot, you might have notices that have been offering flat fares. The new ride package costs $12 for unlimited rides for $3.49. Yes, this could be a great strategy for Uber to gain back their customers. But at the same time is affecting thousands of drivers. According to CNBC, about the 4% of Uber drivers who sign up to for the ride-hailing service are still driving a year later while the rest had dropped this company to work at Lyft or another profession.
On June 2017, the former CEO of Uber, Mr. Kalanick, is going on an indefinite leave of absence. He had to step down due to the amount of drama that has been going on and after the boat accident that leads to his mother’s death. In the letter that The New York Times obtained, Uber investors to Mr. Kalanick that he must immediately leave and that the company. Uber needs a change in leadership. Before Kalanick left, he said: "I love Uber more than anything in the world and at this difficult moment in my personal life I have accepted the investor's request to step aside so that Uber can go back to building rather than be distracted with another fight."
Tech companies are growing and will keep growing and for that to happen changes need to be made. Kalanick might not be Uber’s CEO anymore, but for sure he will remain on Uber's board of directors. Another highlight from Uber is that you could tip your favorite Uber drivers now. So besides giving them a 5 star, you could tip them $1, $5, $10. Also, have you ever lost or left something at Uber? Well, now you’ll have to pay your driver $15 to get it back. Forgetting something in a car is a very human thing to do, could happen to anyone. One minute you're getting off your Uber, the next minute you remember that you left something. Back then, all you had to do was contact the driver and set up a meeting location. But now, you will have to pay $15 for them to go back and drop it off. So, ride that Uber but don't leave anything too important, like your dignity.