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Taxi service Uber served up ice cream around the world today

Posted at 7:13 PM, Jul 18, 2014
and last updated 2014-07-18 19:13:38-04

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — I scream, you scream, we all scream for Uber ice cream!

Today, taxi app company Uber will serve up ice cream on demand to customers in 144 cities across the globe.

It’s as simple as ordering an Uber driver. Hit the request button for the “Ice Cream” option on the app and wait for the nearest ice cream truck or luxury Uber Ice Cream-branded car to drive up.

Uber partnered with everyone from local ice cream and gelato vendors using their own trucks, to the mega wholesale warehouse chain Costco, for the day-long delivery of frozen sweets.

Prices, ice cream selection and hours of operation vary depending on location. In Atlanta, $25 will get you five sweet treats from a local vendor or pre-packaged ice cream pops. Free Uber swag-bags are also being given out, including beach balls and sunglasses.

In New Delhi, two Haagen-Dazs Belgian Chocolate and Strawberry sundaes will be delivered curbside for 700 rupees, and drivers in Paris are serving up Ben & Jerry’s. And there’s no need to have cash on hand — the ice cream is charged to your Uber account.

It’s not the first time Uber has delivered ice cream to customers. The company has also been experimenting with on-demand deliveries of everything from kittens on National Cat Day, to Christmas trees and flowers. In New York City, Uber even offered free halftime show delivery ahead of the 2014 Super Bowl, including a six-piece band and team of six cheerleaders.

And for those more quotidian deliveries, the company is testing a new bike and pedestrian courier service in New York called Uber Rush.

But Uber’s rising dominance has been protested by taxi drivers around the world. Some investors have also wondered if the company’s recent round of financing, which values the company at more than $18 billion, is a sign of another tech bubble. Uber is worth more than profitable brand-name companies like Whole Foods, Harley-Davidson, Nordstrom and Mattel.

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