No, this is not your average taxi.
Don’t know about Uber? Well, get to know it because this could very well be the coolest thing to hit the streets of Philadelphia since Bruce Springsteen himself.
Uber is a smart phone app that connects you with a car service in a super cool, “I’m a total bad ass,” kind of way. Users simply tap the iPhone or Android app on their phone to request a car. Faster than they can say, “Check, please!” they’ll get a text message of when their car will be there. And voila, a super sleek, black car service shows up at your location to take you where you need to go.
We told you it was cool.
There’s even some real time info you can gain from the app. Insert your location at any time and the app will tell you the location nearest Uber car allowing you to time your call perfectly to when you need to go.
And as any good start up does, they’ve started with the biggest markets and are testing each one before they go full blown. Currently, they are in New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago, D.C., Boston, L.A., Toronto, Vancouver, Paris and London.
According to their blog, Philadelphia is part of their next testing phase.
At 8:15 this morning, First Round Capital’s Managing Partner Josh Kopelman (sporting a Flyers cap) whipped out his iPhone, requesting a secret Uber car from Philly’s Rittenhouse Square. Gibson showed up in a slick, black Cadillac Escalade with “wooder” in the back, escorting Josh to catch his train. Uber’s secret *testing* phase on the streets of Philadelphia has begun!
Gosh, even their blog posts are awesome!
They say that there are a few cars on the road now, but warn that it might not “may not blow your mind the way it will once we officially launch (though likely will).” Gotta love a lot of confidence. Good news is, they’re probably right. This is totally something Philadelphians are known for getting behind.
Can’t wait to see it made official.
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