Uber, a San Francisco-based technology startup, is innovating at the intersection of lifestyle and logistics. Uber connects riders with safe, reliable, convenient transportation providers at a variety of price-points in cities around the world. The company uses a smartphone application to receive ride requests and then sends these trip requests to their drivers. Customers use the app to request rides and track their reserved vehicle's location. As of 16 December 2014, the service was available in 53 countries and more than 200 cities worldwide and was valued at more than US$40 billion. Since Uber's launch, several other companies have emulated its business model, a trend that has come to be referred to as "Uberification".