
Uber Opens Its API - zabalmendi
http://techcrunch.com/2014/08/20/uber-api-part-deux/?ncid=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Techcrunch+(TechCrunch)
======
clarkm
Though it's not mentioned in the article, Uber recently partnered with Concur
for business travel. Uber now sends all my ride receipts directly Concur, and
my expense reports are populated automatically -- it's first-class integration
right in the app.

And now Uber is opening their API? IMO, this is a huge deal. Perhaps working
with Concur really drove home the sheer size of the corporate travel machine,
and the massive opportunities they were missing out on by not participating in
its web of partners and exclusive contracts. I know Uber already has VIP (in
NYC at least) and is coming out with corporate discounts, but I'm betting we
see Uber move a lot more in that direction.

~~~
Aubric
Uber has been working on this for a long time. No chance the recent Concur /
UberForBusiness integration inspired them to open up their API.

------
downandout
_"....to get its service on as many apps as possible, it is launching an
affiliate program to offer up free credits to developers who get people using
its service."_

If they aren't offering a cash percentage, I don't think they're going to find
many takers. I certainly wouldn't integrate a new API in exchange for Uber
credits.

Edit: On the affiliate page, it says "Cash rewards coming soon" but it seems
rather odd that they wouldn't launch with that. Generally affiliate programs
pay money.

~~~
thesimon
Currently, they offer $5 credit per signup for US developers. Referring via
the uber dashboard gives you $10.

Am I missing a point or why would anyone use it if you don't get cash at the
moment, get $5 less, it only works for US and you can't register people via
the Api?

------
chaghalibaghali
This could potentially be great news - I've been working on an Uber client app
for Firefox OS [1] using the reverse-engineering done by the Uber CLI project
[2].

It's pretty a pretty basic implementation at the moment (you can currently
book a ride based on an address, and not much else), but allowed me to move to
FirefoxOS for my primary phone - Uber being the last 'must-have' app for me
that didn't have a webapp version.

Having something official to work with (assuming they don't go down the
Twitter route of not allowing anything that replicates the functionality of
the main Uber app) would help a lot.

[1] [https://github.com/thomshutt/FFUber](https://github.com/thomshutt/FFUber)

[2] [https://github.com/tals/uber.py](https://github.com/tals/uber.py)

~~~
sbuccini
You can also use [http://m.uber.com](http://m.uber.com) if you can't download
the app onto your smartphone.

~~~
chaghalibaghali
Whoops, did not realise that existed! Fairly sure it didn't when I first
started playing with FirefoxOS, but this is exactly what I need

------
lnanek2
Too bad it is read-only. :( TechCrunch Disrupt is coming up next month and I
would have loved writing an Uber client for Google Glass. Having the user
login on a desktop or mobile and then using their oauth credentials on a
companion Glass app is all doable. They simply don't have any API for
requesting a ride, however, once you have the credentials:
[https://developer.uber.com/v1/endpoints/](https://developer.uber.com/v1/endpoints/)

They have some deep linking APIs to start their apps on Android, iOS, or a
mobile web site - but none of those will work on Glass. I suppose,
theoretically, I can make the HTTP requests to their mobile site as if I were
a browser and a user tapping the right buttons, but that it is a lot more
brittle than having an API. It will break any time they change their web site.

Being able to say, "OK, Glass,""Get me a ride" and the car shows up would be
exciting. "OK, Glass" "Show me the cost and time estimate to go to the Design
Center" is just a boring advertisement. Right now their API just allows boring
advertisements, pretty much.

~~~
extrabot
As mentioned in the blog post, that API is built but in whitelist-only mode:

 _What about requesting a ride? Yes, we’ve implemented that endpoint as well,
but because calling it immediately dispatches a real driver in the real world,
we’re releasing it in a more controlled fashion, starting with a small set of
partners. Stay tuned for more on that, and please let us know if you’re
interested in being added to the whitelist._

------
kaeawc
Their developer pages are here:
[https://developer.uber.com/](https://developer.uber.com/)

------
smackfu
My preference is for apps to just have a directions link, and then the various
providers can plug into the central OS maps.

The odd thing is that Uber isn't integrated into the iOS Maps app as a transit
provider. So you can't actually use it in that fashion.

~~~
Aqua_Geek
It actually is integrated, but it might not support your area (the
configuration file used to tell the system where it's supported might be out
of date).

~~~
smackfu
Ah, good point. We are in a bit of a grey area at our current location. We
don't really have UberX in this town (Middletown, CT), but we live near to the
interstate that a lot of UberX drivers are on going to and from a metro they
do support (New Haven, CT). So the app will call us a car, but it's always
15-20 mins for pickup time.

------
theutan
Uber launches an affiliate program could have just as easily been the title.

~~~
jkestner
To answer the question that I had, how affiliates will get paid -
[https://developer.uber.com/earn/](https://developer.uber.com/earn/) says in
Uber credits, and "cash rewards coming soon".

------
ejain
Being able to access the history is nice; could be useful when combined with
data from other sources...

The API appears to be well thought out--except for the epoch timestamps
without time zone offsets :-(

~~~
seregine
epoch timestamps don't need timezone offsets. The epoch timestamp is the
number of seconds from a specified "zero" time. That number can be translated
to a time in any timezone. E.g. right now:

    
    
      % date +"%s"; date; date -u
      1408580844
      Wed Aug 20 17:27:24 PDT 2014
      Thu Aug 21 00:27:24 UTC 2014

~~~
ejain
Sure, an epoch timestamp can be translated to any time zone, but what was the
original time zone?

Consider these questions: Do I use Uber more often before or after noon? Is
this a photo of a sunrise or a of a sunset? How late do I typically go to bed?

In the case of Uber we could try to guess the time zone from the coordinates,
but it's not trivial.

------
hisabness
also, here in denver, most uber drivers are also lyft drivers. i.e. drivers
keep both apps running to increase their chances of getting a request.

~~~
JoeAltmaier
Really? That's marvelous. Is there an app begging to be written here? For the
independent driver's needs, not for the supplier (Uber/Lyft etc). An
aggregator of ride request feeds.

~~~
smackfu
Uber provides the drivers with a locked-down iPhone to get the ride requests,
so it's not that simple.

~~~
JoeAltmaier
Surprised; I thought Uber was some sort of public-access ridesharing thing. If
they vet drivers and license them, how is it different from any other cab
service?

~~~
smackfu
Mainly because they don't actually license them unless the local authorities
force them to. They do vet them, in theory.

And to follow-on, the practical difference is that they are a lot less
terrible than most existing cab / car services.

~~~
iancarroll
People have been selling/giving away their Uber accounts too, IIRC.

------
hawkharris
From a technological standpoint, there are many reasons why I feel excited and
lucky to be alive during this time in history. But smarter safer
transportation, spearheaded by companies like Google and Uber, tops the list.

~~~
beggi
How is Uber safer?

~~~
clarkm
It reduces drunk driving.

~~~
k-mcgrady
...taxis already do that.

~~~
brk
Not really. I use Uber pretty regularly when traveling for a ride home from a
night out. It's consistent, reliable, and I don't have to worry about the
driver trying to take advantage of the fact that I might be unfamiliar with
the area and possibly not in my most aware state :)

If it's cold, dark, whatever outside I can call an Uber via the app and know
when they're arriving. I can see how long the expected delay is to plan
wrapping things up accordingly.

My experience with Taxi's in most of the major US markets is that coverage is
spotty, fares can be variable, credit-card acceptance is hit or miss, and the
cars and drivers are generally sub-par.

Comparing taxi's to Uber is like comparing a model rocket to the Space X
program.

~~~
k-mcgrady
I'm not from the US so my view on taxis might be different. Typically I call a
number and they have someone there in 10 minutes. It's rare to be taken
advantage of because they know you can make a complaint to the taxi company
they work for. As for cash I don't think anyone here minds. If you don't have
cash on you the taxi driver will stop at an ATM for you.

I've used Uber once and it was great but from my experience with taxis Uber
isn't offering much extra.

------
sergiotapia
Uber is a dirty company, don't give them your business.

[http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2014/08/13/uber-
employees-a...](http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2014/08/13/uber-employees-
allegedly-canceled-thousands-of-lyft-rides-fake-requests/)

~~~
viraptor
I find this problem really strange to be honest. Lyft guys are capable of
solving dispatch issues, so why don't they introduce limits in their ToS? For
example 5 cancellations in a row - ban. 25%+ cancellations over a period of
time - ban. Or instead of a ban, start charging for cancellations over some
threshold. If they set the threshold and the resulting action properly, they
should be able to handle the bad behaviour with little loss.

I see this as one of the few social problems that can be solved with
technology. Use the tech to make the incentives for this behaviour go away.

~~~
downandout
Agreed. This certainly doesn't excuse Uber's behavior, but as a startup you
have to adapt and adjust to whatever issues you are confronted with. When
abusive cancellations became a problem, they should have made it either
impossible or expensive for the behavior to continue.

------
vishalzone2002
uber moves pretty fast. I think their speed of innovation is commendable. But
17 billion USD evaluation still seem unjustified to me.

~~~
aianus
I used to pay Uber $300+ a month when I lived in SF. Seems like a bargain
compared to WhatsApp or Facebook.

