Uber Gave Its One Billionth Trip On Christmas Eve

Following a busy year with lawsuits, protests from traditional taxi companies, and difficulties with its public image, ride-sharing giant Uber announced a huge milestone this week: it's given its billionth ride. Along with the record-setting number, the company shared a few other details about ride number one billion, such as that it took place on Christmas Eve in London, when a couple hailed a £5 London uberX, which turned out to be a Honda Insight Hybrid.

"One billion. That's a whole lot of riders and drivers sharing the road, special moments, and celebrations together. Certainly far more than we ever imagined when we got started in San Francisco five and a half years ago," Uber said in a blog post.

The company also revealed that it was giving a special gift to those involved in the lucky ride, both the passengers and the driver. The couple is awarded with a year of free rides, while the driver is getting a free trip to any city where Uber operates.

The one billion rides milestone only cements the dominance Uber has on the ride-sharing market. The closest rival the company has is Lyft, which hasn't revealed how many trips its given but is estimated to have made 90 million in 2015 alone. Unfortunately for competitors, this dominance, despite the growth of the ride-sharing market around the globe, leaves little room others, with the latest example being Sidecar's announcement of calling it quits.

SOURCE Uber