Uber releases first-year results in Connecticut

Uber Technologies Inc., the mobile app-based ride-hailing company, recently announced results for its first year of service in Connecticut.

The company said its 4,000 Connecticut drivers earned $8 million in revenue since Uber implemented service in the state last April. Uber said it gains more than 500 drivers per month in Connecticut and expects to add another 5,000 drivers by the end of this year.

Uber first began its Connecticut service in Fairfield and New Haven counties in April 2014, and has since expanded to the greater Hartford and New London areas. In a post on its website, Uber Connecticut said 83 percent of state residents have access to its transportation services.

Uber, based in San Francisco, allows users to download a mobile app to request a ride. A crowd-sourced driver working for the company receives the request and is dispatched to the pickup location. Uber’s drivers are not licensed as taxi drivers, and the company has faced criticism from licensed cab drivers because of the competition. As of March, its service was available in 55 countries. Bloomberg estimated the company will earn $10 billion in revenue by the end of 2015.