In Nairobi, people don't like getting into cabs driven by strangers. They prefer to call drivers they know or who their friends recommend. A new app assigns drivers a trust score based on social ties.
In the first quarter of 2015, the ride-sharing service accounted for 46 percent of rides expensed by workers, according to a report. Its market share in the same period last year was 15 percent.
In 2014, Uber became one of the most valuable privately held companies on Earth. It expanded to more than 200 cities, but criticism and legal battles have ballooned in parallel with its revenues.
The ride-hailing service says it is creating 20,000 driver jobs every month. While this makes the service better for customers, drivers worry it will drive prices — and their earnings — down.
Uber's "surge pricing" quadrupled fares for some customers trying to flee the area in Sydney where a gunman took hostages. France banned Uber's low-cost service over its lack of professional licenses.
The attorneys general of San Francisco and Los Angeles counties are accusing the ride-sharing service of misrepresenting its background checks on drivers. It comes amid a rash of bad news for Uber.