What is the name of the app-based taxi service founded in 2009? Uber. The company began as UberCab, a San Francisco startup intended to make requesting a private car more convenient through a smartphone. Its founders were Garrett Camp and Travis Kalanick, and the business was formally founded in 2009.
The idea grew from two frustrations: Camp and Kalanick had found a private driver unusually expensive on New Year’s Eve, and Camp had struggled to find a taxi during a snowy night in Paris. Early Uber was not the low-cost service many people picture today. Its first public offering in San Francisco, in 2011, focused on black luxury cars and initially cost more than a conventional taxi.
Uber later expanded into ordinary ride-hailing, food delivery, freight, and other transport services. The app matches passengers with nearby drivers, uses digital maps and location data, and handles booking and payment electronically. A frequent mix-up is treating every app-booked car as a taxi: legally, the distinction between a licensed taxi and a private-hire or ridesharing vehicle varies by country and city.