Uber launches exec service following ‘phenomenal response’

Uber is the global market leader in on-demand transit services and has attracted a $40bn valuation. It works by connecting licensed drivers with passengers at the touch of a button via a smartphone app, cutting out traditional private hire firms.

Uber said it is launching its EXEC service in Leeds following “huge demand”. Uber brought its driver-hailing service to Leeds in late 2014 as part of a roll-out around the UK

An Uber spokesman said: “Uber is announcing its third product in Leeds, UberExec. Whether it’s date night or impressing a new client, you can now travel in a bit more style in an E Class Mercedes or equivalent, all booked through the same award winning app.”

Tom Elvidge, the general manager, Uber Leeds said: “We like to say that Uber is everyone’s private driver, and in an UberEXEC it really feels like it. In an EXEC you can expect the highest rated drivers, the most luxurious cars and a chauffeur-driven service. With UberEXEC a ride from the train station to Headingley will cost around £8 and from the airport to Call Lane will cost around £23.”

Last month, Uber announced that it was bringing its services to Wakefield, its fifth British city.

In March, Mr Elvidge told The Yorkshire Post that 10,000 people in Wakefield had opened the Uber app since it launched in Leeds in November, which he described as “a phenomenal response”.

He added: “We have seen really strong take-up in the UK generally. London is a little different because it is a bit older (launching in 2012) and so much bigger but definitely the growth in Leeds, Manchester (May 2014) and Birmingham (February 2015) has been really healthy, even compared to other cities globally.”