What is Uber about? 6 fun facts to benefit our riders

What is Uber? We’re so glad you asked, because you’re not the only one. We’ve noticed a popular question seems to be: What is Uber—a taxi service? Not quite. Public transport? Nope. Bird…Plane…Superman? All good guesses, but actually, Uber is an app that connects drivers with riders. It’s as simple as that. To help you get a better idea of what it’s all about, we’ve put together a list of some Uber fun facts that cover the who, what, where and why.

The inspiration for Uber came when Travis Kalanick and Garrett Camp found themselves stuck in Paris on a snowy evening, unable to find a taxi. They asked themselves: “What if you could request a ride simply by tapping your phone?” The company first launched in 2009 and has been growing ever since.

Heading up a global business with more than 16,000 employees requires some serious expertise. Luckily, Khosrowshahi has just that. Before taking his position at Uber, he was the CEO of online travel company Expedia. He’s also a passionate advocate for refugees in crisis, having left Iran during the revolution when he was just nine years old.

Its main headquarters are in the tech haven of San Francisco, but there are also major offices in London, Sao Paulo, Mexico City and Amsterdam. You can request a ride with Uber in more than 600 cities worldwide.

As of 2016, Uber counted more than 3,000 drivers on their roster of partners who help riders in Dubai get where they need to go. With popularity on the rise, the number of both drivers and riders just keeps going up.

UberONE is a revolutionary way of riding, using only premium, electric-powered cars available exclusively through the Uber app. In 2016, the unique ride option premiered in Madrid. In 2017, it arrived in Dubai, in collaboration with Dubai Taxi Corporation, to offer riders a more environmentally friendly option when moving around the city.

Not long ago, self-driving cars seemed like the stuff of science fiction. But Uber is all about innovation, and the dedicated Uber Advanced Technologies Group is looking to make them a reality for all riders. The team is working on vehicle safety, mapping and technologies, and the first pilot took place in the USA in 2016.

We hope you feel a little more familiar with Uber—and now you’ve got some fun facts to share with your driver on your next ride!