On-demand car service Uber has had a bit of trouble seguing into New York and now even has competition on its tail in the upstart Groundlink. Betabeat broke the story that two of the three Uber employees resigned in September, just four months after the office opened. Now the company is gearing up for a launch in Europe (a landgrab for the mobile app enabled car service market) and this morning revealed a new logo. “Words that come to mind: Distinguished, Efficient, Elegant, Convenient, Modern, Luxurious, Quality, Service, Baller, Like-Woah,” says Uber in the announcement.
Very cute, Uber! But what of the wait times? What of the exorbitant prices in a city overlaid with bus lines, underlaid with an enormous subway system and where you can walk to most stuff basically, anyway? We were skeptical that Uber would be well-received in New York from the beginning, and this 60-degree weather ain’t helping–although Uber says New Yorkers are scrambling to sign up despite some growing pains on the startup’s side. “The service is the same, though we will strive to improve it every day (yes, we’re talking to you New York),” writes cofounder and CEO Travis Kalanick in an email to users.
Meanwhile, Uber has moved into Greenpoint coworking space The Yard and hired Edward Casabian, formerly known as the NYC Nomad, as community manager, who is working with Andrew Chapin, manager of New York operations. The startup announced its foray into Paris yesterday via TechCrunch.
