Apps are increasingly important for modern businesses, and some companies have even found success purely based on the apps they offer their users. Uber is a great example of this. This is a mobile app-based transportation network which has gained a lot of popularity over the past couple of years, so much so that in its four years of operation in New York City, it has surpassed the city’s yellow cabs in regards to the number of cars used.
Last month, the Taxi and Limousine Commission in the city revealed that there are 14,088 Uber cars on the roads whereas there are only 13,587 registered yellow taxis.
This may come as a surprise to many of the residents of New York, but it is probably due to the fact that Uber allows drivers to use their own vehicles, rather than a bright yellow cab which is more visible. The cars can be of any make, colour or model, providing that they are in good condition and newer than 10 years old, meaning that they will blend in with other cars.
However, despite the large increase in the amount of Uber vehicles on NY’s roads, traditional yellow cabs are still more active. Each day, an average of 15 times more passenger journeys are carried out in taxi cabs (440,00) than those which take place in Uber cars. Most likely this is because Uber vehicles are usually have one driver working around 40 hours a week, while taxi cabs are part of a large corporation that keeps them active around the clock in a variety of different shifts.
Although still a young company, Uber operates in 250 cities and 50 countries across the world. However, the company is not without criticism from traditional taxi associations who see the app as undermining their business model. Uber offices in Paris were raided by police in March because of an investigation into the application allowing users to rent vehicles operated by non-professional drivers.