UBER UPDATE UK
Ollila wrote: “I wasted 20 minutes of my time on Tuesday trying to get a driver to pick me up at Heathrow T5.” Users also complain on Twitter about Manchester Airport and Bir- mingham International Airport. Drivers also admitted they weremanipulating the app to boost their earnings, with one member of staff saying they worked together to push up demand and create a “surge price” where the fare can be doubled or even tripled. “Drivers basically hack the app so their location is hidden. That means the app thinks there aren’t many cabs available in the area, so the surge price rockets. “Then they reveal their location to book a fare and wham, they get three times extra money,” the source told the newspaper. But Fareed Baloch, a taxi expert who works in technology, said the blame actually lay at the feet of Uber, who are behind the technol- ogy used by drivers and passengers. “With the massive engineering team behind Uber’s technology, it is beyond understanding how they have left loopholes in their driver app - which is what allows this deception to happen. “But if they are aware of the loopholes that means they must turn a blind eye to allow their drivers to benefit and of course this means Uber in turn makes more money from commissions.” The discovery will raise questions after a judge atWestminsterMag- istrates’ Court ruled that Uber was a ‘fit and proper’ company after its managers said that “wholesale changes” had been made follow- ing Transport for London’s refusal to renew its operator licence last September. Mr Baloch said the discovery “raised yet more doubts about the decision to award Uber a licence in London.” “The short term licence was granted because Uber pleaded in court that they had changed. Well, I believe that many people would question whether having a piece of technology that allows what sounds to me like fraud to take place makes them a fit and proper company. Uber has put many private hire companies out of busi- ness because consumers thought they were ‘easier’ and ‘cheaper’. I hope potential passengers now look to local companies when they need to book a vehicle.”
UBER ‘BRINGS BACK THE U’ IN MAJOR REBRAND
Uber has scrapped its controversial and con- fusing “asshole” symbol for a simple wordmark, as part of its new visual identity designed with branding firmWolff Olins. According to Dezeen, the collaborative redesign by Uber and Wolff Olins aims to rectify errors made with the ride-sharing service’s rebrand in 2016 – heavily criticised for a circular motif logo that was likened to an “asshole”. Uber said it also leftmany peo- ple “wondering where the U went” from the old greyscale icon. To remedy the confusion, the teams gathered research from Uber’s audience, coming upwith three key findings: let in the light, embrace black; invest in a wordmark, not a symbol; bring back the U. The new logo therefore comprises the company name, written in white and set against a black background. The U also forms the framework for the new composition of itsmar- keting material. For example, adverts will feature images wrapped by a white U, or as a backdrop that looks like the letter. Black and white continues prominently throughout the rebranding, set at a high contrast. A “safety blue” colour is introduced sparingly during user interac- tions, such as ordering the car, to mark moments of support and assurance.
Uber ‘brings back U’ in major rebrand
OCTOBER 2018
The logo and composition is among a num- ber of new elements that feature in Uber and Wolff Olins’s branding project. These include a custom typeface, called Uber Move, designed by Los Angeles type foundry and studio MCKL. The typography is based on those found in transport hubs, such as New York’s subway and London’s underground, and used throughout the rest of the branding material to provide continuity. A new set of bold black iconography draws on shapes also found in global transporta- tion, combined with the Uber Move type to create “a seamless system from text to icon”. In illustrations for branding material, images are stripped back to “basic geometric shapes” and filled with block colours to make them easy to understand. All new features will be rolled out internationally to make the brand recognisable worldwide. Marketing material will be customised through photography specific to different regions. Uber was founded by Travis Kalanick and Garrett Camp in 2009 as a black car service for 100 friends in San Francisco. Its first logo was a red magnet designed by Camp, which was followed by a greyscale identity featuring a “U” in 2011. The next rebrand, completed in-house by CEO and co-founder Travis Kalanick and Uber design director Shalin Amin, sparked a major blacklash. The company’s head of design Andrew Crow announced he was leaving the company the day after it was revealed.
Uber’s last rebrand was likened to an ‘asshole’
PASSENGERS WITH LOW RATINGS WILL GET KICKED OFF THE APP
Uber is changing its system to make the experience of ride-sharing an ‘enjoyable and safe for everyone’. The app’s new community guidelines, which came into force on 19 September, will mean any rider who is consistently getting a low rating will first be warned and then kicked off the platform. It used to be the case that if you had a low rating, you would risk not being picked up. Now – if your rating drops below four stars – you actually face having your account deactivated. The rules reflect those for drivers, which have long faced being removed if their ratings fell too low. According to Metro, at the moment, these new community guide- lines are being introduced in Australia and New Zealand. They are already in force in the US and Uber hasn’t ruled out bringing them to the UK. “The way you behave while using Uber can have a big impact on the safety and comfort of drivers, as well as your fellow passengers. Courtesy matters,” the company wrote in its updated community guidelines. “That’s why you are expected to exercise good judg- ment and behave decently towards other people in the car when riding with Uber - just as you would in any public place.” Uber is slowly trying to turn itself around following a controversial history and several run-ins with transportation chiefs. Earlier this year, a judge ruled the taxi company was ‘fit and proper’ to operate in London under a 15-month probationary licence. The ruling came in response to an appeal against Transport for London’s (TfL) deci- sion not to renew its licence to operate in the city. The Silicon Valley giant told the court it hadmade ‘seriousmistakes’ and that TfL was correct in its earlier decision, but argued it had made ‘wholesale’ reforms in the following nine months. Given these remarks, it seems likely that Uber could make it so UK riders will also get kicked off the app if their rating drops below four stars.
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