Uber is planning to 'shake up the taxi industry' by launching its own taxi booking service, in what it promises will 'make the worst aspects of catching a taxi awesome'. You may already be familiar with Uber, the luxury hire car app that launched in Sydney in November last year. The service allows users to book a classy private car and travel in style, instead of rolling the dice and hoping to get a taxi driver who knows where they're going and doesn't listen to talkback radio .