Obi
Formerly | Bellhop (2014 – 2021) |
|---|---|
| ISIN | 🆔 |
| Industry | Mobility; Technology |
| Fate | Rebranded as Obi in March 2021 |
| Predecessor | Bellhop Technologies Inc. |
| Founded 📆 | 2014 |
| Founder 👔 | Payam Safa |
| Headquarters 🏙️ | , , |
Area served 🗺️ | Worldwide |
Key people | Ashwini Anburajan (CEO) Payam Safa (Chairman & President) |
| Products 📟 | Obi mobility metasearch platform Intelligent Pricing API |
| Members | |
Number of employees | |
| 🌐 Website | https://rideobi.com |
| 📇 Address | |
| 📞 telephone | |
Obi is a metasearch platform for ride-hailing and car services that aggregates pricing and availability information from multiple transportation providers.[1][2]
History
Obi was founded in 2014 by Payam Safa as Bellhop Technologies Inc. The company initially operated a digital concierge app; later, it shifted to ride-hailing fare comparison, expanding to many U.S. cities and international markets. It rebranded as Obi in March 2021.[3]
In August 2025, Ashwini Anburajan was appointed Chief Executive Officer.[4]
Platform and business model
Obi’s mobile application shows estimated prices, pickup times, vehicle types, and availability from transportation providers. In some cases, such as Curb, bookings can be completed directly within the app, while other providers, including Uber and Lyft, require users to complete bookings through their own application.[2][5]
Obi earns income by commissions from transportation providers for completed bookings, as well as through licensing of data products and partnerships with other mobility and travel platforms.[6]
Research and analysis
In 2025, reporting by TechCrunch and other outlets referenced Obi-sourced pricing data in coverage comparing Waymo robotaxi fares with those of human-driven ride-hailing services in San Francisco. These reports found that Waymo fares were generally higher than comparable Uber and Lyft rides, based on aggregated price quote data.[1][7]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Hempel, Jessi. "Uber and Lyft's Never-Ending Quest to Crush Price Comparison Apps". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Walker, Alissa (2021-06-04). "Why Your Uber Ride Is Suddenly Costing a Fortune". Curbed.
- ↑ Im, Jimmy (2018-08-16). "3 innovative new travel apps that save time and money". CNBC.
- ↑ "Ashwini Anburajan". bizjournals.
- ↑ Ho, Erica (2019-08-22). "Bellhop Finds the Cheapest Rideshare App for Getting Across Town - Map Happy". Map Happy - Get there.
- ↑ Dennis, Ben (2024-02-26). "Free app automatically tracks rideshare prices, wait times: how it works". Yahoo News.
- ↑ O'Kane, Sean (2025-06-12). "Exclusive: Waymo rides cost more than Uber, Lyft — and people are paying anyway". TechCrunch.
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