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Uber Denies Access To Harvard Startup That Compared Ride-Hailing Prices (boston.com)

Posted by msmash on from the double-face dept.

In April, a group of Harvard Business School students created an app called Urbanhail that allowed users to see side-by-side real-time pricing -- including surge rates -- for different ride-sharing apps including Uber. The app received a tremendous response from users. Shortly after that, the group received emails from several Uber representatives, asking them to remove Uber's data from the app citing terms and policies. "Uber's developer terms explicitly forbid using its data in any manner that is competitive to Uber," said Chris Messina, Lead at Uber Developer Experience. This has resulted in Urbanhail removing Uber's data from price-comparison-list. Urbanhail's Amber James didn't find Uber's stance on the matter. He said: They are absolutely a champion of competition when it's them against taxi companies or them against regulators. However, in its own ride-hailing niche of the transportation market, Uber's stance is ironically absolutely anti-competitive.

5 of 152 comments (clear)

  1. Not ironic. by Chmarr · · Score: 5, Informative

    The word you're looking for is "hypocritically".

  2. Ironic? by Dog-Cow · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I find Uber's behavior to be totally expected, and not ironic in the least. Hypocritical, perhaps. Ironic? Not even a little bit.

  3. Public Domain by symes · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Surely custome price data is in the public domain and so fair use applies?

  4. Re:What do you call a taxi dispatcher with an app? by vux984 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    A taxi company with an app is still a taxi company.

    Indeed, many cab companies now have apps -- I've booked cab rides by app on 3 continents now. Same essential features as uber... book a ride online (set time, pickup / destination addresses); see confirmations, see if a cab has been dispatched to you, see where available cars are on the map... ; leave feedback on the driver...

    Its all really quite funny as uber's arguments about what make it 'uniquenly not a taxi' become even more strained and ridiculous then they already were.

  5. Re:What do you call a taxi dispatcher with an app? by smooth+wombat · · Score: 4, Insightful

    what make it 'uniquenly not a taxi' become even more strained and ridiculous then they already were.

    Particularly when they just changed their app to allow their employees to more easily take breaks and fill up their gas tanks.

    Waaahhhh? I thought Uber drivers could pick up people whenever and wherever they like, on their own schedule. Why the need to make it easier to have a break?

    Yeah, Uber isn't a taxi company. In name only.

    --
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