Ebay was the first major two-sided marketplace success — today, however, companies like Uber and Airbnb have made it more popular and powerful than ever. Personal Finance. Old-school taxis find fares either by driving around and picking them off the street street hail , or having a dispatcher with phoned-in customer requests instructing them on where to go. To rein in costs, Uber has been doubling down on its core markets while also expanding its offering beyond just car rides to incorporate bikes, scooters, and public transportation options into its platform. More importantly, people who take Uber rides tend to take more Uber rides over time. Uber has worked diligently to avoid generating particular ties with certain types of cars or a certain demographic of customer.