Call A Car In The D With The Uber App

DETROIT (WWJ) - Need a ride? There's an app for that.

San Francisco-based Uber Technologies has launched an iPhone and Android app here in Detroit that uses real-time GPS to request a car in minutes.

"Hit a button on your phone and in five minutes you get picked up by a limousine or town car and you actually feel like you have your own private driver," said explained company's Ryan Graves. "So you have a credit card on file and the request process is seamless and the payment process is seamless."

Uber partners with existing companies to connect car and driver. Using the app, there won't be a need for cash or credit because that fare is paid through the account on file. The payment even covers the tip.

"There's a change going on in downtown Detroit that is something we want to be a part of," said Graves.  "And essentially, there's limiting transportation alternatives from taxis to the people mover to whatever else. And I think that bringing this alternative ... is going to be a really good fit for the market."

Detroit Ventures Partners, a venture capital firm that invests in seed and early-stage technology companies, helped recruit Uber to downtown Detroit and brokered the company's lease in Rock Ventures' M@dison Building.

"This is an opportune time to open shop in Detroit," said Uber Launch Specialist Chan Park. "We are very excited about playing a role in Detroit's transformation by bringing our innovative technology that revolutionizes the way people get around, with convenience and in style."

To download the app, search for "uber" in the app store or visit Uber.Com.