How Uber got its first users?

Uber MVP

The idea for UberCab came to Garrett Camp and Travis Kalanick on a cold winter evening when getting a cab was difficult for them. They imagined that taking a trip with a simple screen tap would be fantastic. UberCab was established in May 2010, but there were only 3 cars in Garrett and Travis' fleet.

Camp worked on UberCab in 2009-2010 as his side project. One of the early Uber growth tactics was using the Internet (e. g. Twitter) to look for staff. The first order for a ride was made in San Francisco, which is where Uber started.

Initially, the users could only book a black premium car for 1.5 times the price of a taxi. As a result, the value of the service was relatively high, and word of mouth spread quickly, which boosted Uber user acquisition.

Their next step in the early Uber growth tactics was identifying the days with the biggest demand for cab services (things like Austin's SXSW Conference, sporting events, concerts and parties, or BBQ delivery). Sometimes, they even offered their services for free which was another Uber user acquisition booster. They were able to gain thousands of people at a record speed and on an extremely low budget.

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