Uber is facing backlash from transport groups in several countries, but the company is continuously becoming popular. In fact, Uber announced that that they have booked 1 billion rides since the service started in 2010.

The company announced that they reached the milestone, when rider Marvin booked a trip on Christmas Eve. UberX driver Ara and Marvin travelled from London Fields to Hoxton using a blue Honda Insight Hybrid.

Uber admitted that the 1 billionth ride came as a surprise to them because they did not imagine that they will reach such milestone when operation started in June 2010 in San Francisco.

"One billion. That's a whole lot of riders and drivers sharing the road, special moments, and celebrations together," the company said in a statement. "Certainly far more than we ever imagined when we got started in San Francisco five and a half years ago. This holiday season, we're feeling grateful and festive crossing this milestone."

Both Ara and Marvin will also receive special gifts from Uber. Marvin will get free Uber trip for year, while Ara will receive an all-expense paid trip to an Uber City of his choice. Uber also announced that the community, where the historic booking was made, will also benefit from the special moment.

"To celebrate the community where this special trip took place, we are also making a donation to Hackney Pirates -- a charity serving the neighborhood where the billionth trip started," Uber added. "Hackney Pirates develops the literacy, confidence, and perseverance of young people aged 9-12 across the borough of Hackney."

According to Tech Crunch, Uber is now available in 68 countries and 370 cities worldwide. Competitor "Sidecar" recently called it quits as Uber's popularity continues to increase. However, Fortune pointed out that Uber still has a lot of work to do because it still lagging behind some of its competitors like Didi Kuadi, which is reportedly getting seven million rides per day in China.

Private investors value the company at $62.5 billion, which is the highest value for a tech startup. Because of its popularity, the ride-sharing company is facing backlash in several cities because of safety concerns. Taxi operators and other transportation groups are also crying foul because Uber is affecting their income significantly.

In the Philippines, where Uber is popular, a transportation group filed a petition to stop operation of ride-sharing services. The transportation group successfully obtained a restraining order, but it was only meant to stop new applications for 20 days and not to halt operation.