uber
uber
(1) (uber) A prefix that means the best. See uber prefix.(2) (Uber, Inc. San Francisco, CA, www.uber.com) The first unlicensed taxicab service to use a mobile app for securing rides in vehicles owned by contracted drivers. Founded in 2009 by Travis Kalanick and Garrett Camp, Uber has been a very controversial service from the start. The company has been hit with lawsuits and government cease and desist orders due to complaints by licensed taxicab organizations. Nevertheless, Uber is thriving and is available in more than 200 cities worldwide.
Autonomous Ubers
In order to offer driverless cabs, in 2015, Uber hired approximately 40 scientists from Carnegie Mellon University's renowned AI and robotics research lab. One year later, Pittsburgh became the first city to test Uber-modified Volvo SUVs. Not yet driverless, a note-taking specialist was present as well as a human driver who could take over the wheel. Drivers were restricted from speaking to the passenger in order to emulate the driverless experience (see self-driving car). See Uber Access, Lyft, transportation network company and gig economy.