The company dropped "Cab" from its name in 2010 after receiving a cease-and-desist letter from San Francisco regulators, as they were not a legally licensed taxi service.

By temporarily raising fares, surge pricing encourages off-duty drivers to log in and head to high-demand areas, effectively balancing the available supply with rider demand.

Originally framed as a premium service, the app allowed users to hire Lincoln Town Cars before introducing the much cheaper UberX tier for everyday passenger vehicles in 2012.