In Chicago getting a cab is easy. If you stand on the street looking even somewhat confused, taxi drivers will start honking at you to see if you need a ride. If you have luggage with you, they’ll nearly run you over trying to ensure that another cab doesn’t get the $42 fare to O’Hare. Apparently it’s not so easy in other cities. I’ve heard that it can be especially tough in San Francisco, CA, which is why Uber (formerly UberCab) is making so much noise. They offer a simple, relatively affordable black car service that harnesses the power of the mobile Internet. With a simple text message or touch of a button in an iPhone or Android app, you can have Uber schedule a car to come pick you up. You’ll get an estimated arrival time (usually within 5-10 minutes), and when they get there, you just hop in. Once you’re at your destination, you hop out and say thank you. They already have your credit card from when you signed up, so payment is covered and tip is included. It’s certainly a luxury, but it’s a luxury done right.

Uber Jobs

A lot of people hate “middle men,” but Uber is kind of making the middle man awesome again. They don’t own the cars or employ the drivers, they just act as an intermediary between drivers and customers. Rarely will a driver of a black car be busy all day–there will often be downtime. Uber fills in the downtime by offering these drivers jobs through a mobile app. Only drivers who maintain a certain level of customer satisfaction (Uber has a rating system) can continue to be part of Uber’s network. The pricing seems to be about double what I’d pay for a cab here in Chicago, but their flat rates to and from SFO and OAK look pretty decent. Uber only operates in San Francisco right now, but they’re expanding to New York City very soon. I love companies like Uber because they’re half web startup and half old school business. (Bonobos is another company that fits that profile.) If you’re excited about what Uber is doing, then you should head over to their Jobs page. Right now they have two entry level positions: Customer Support Associate and Engineer/Developer. There may be more jobs on the way as Uber expands, so keep an eye on them.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

• Uber.com
• Jobs at Uber
• About Uber
• Ubers’ FAQ
• Uber’s Blog

Have you ever used Uber?

We've identified Uber as having career opportunities in the following categories:

• all employers
• California
• cars
• communications
• customer service
• engineering
• marketing
• New York
• public relations
• social media
• software development
• transportation
• user experience
• web development

---

Jobs Near You

---