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Uber lost over $1 billion in Q3 as it closes in on an IPO
Uber, according to its self-reported financials, said it lost (on a GAAP basis) $1.07 billion as it continues to invest in new areas, such as bicycles, scooters and freight shipments. The company is still growing however, as revenue rose 38 percent from a year ago to $2.95 billion. Albeit, those gains are down 51 percent from the previous quarter, meaning that overall the speed of growth is slightly down. Uber earned $12.7 billion from gross bookings, or the money it makes after paying commissions to drivers and delivery people, which is up 34 percent from the previous year.
Daimler and Bosch pick San Jose for autonomous taxi trial
Mercedes' parent company Daimler and automotive supplier Bosch announced back in 2017 their plans to get autonomous vehicles on the road "by the beginning of the next decade." Now, the partnership is getting ready to roll out testing, and has earmarked San Jose for a pilot trial in the second half of 2019.
Volkswagen and Mobileye team up for an autonomous ride-hailing service
Intel-owned company Mobileye has teamed up with Volkswagen to launch an autonomous EV ride-hailing service in its native country of Israel. Their joint venture called "New Mobility" will use electric Volkswagen vehicles powered by Mobileye's Level 4 autonomous driving system "AV Kit." A third partner, Israeli VW distributor Champion Motors, will manage the service's fleet and logistics. The Israeli government has promised to provide the venture with the regulatory and infrastructure support it needs, so the companies might not have to worry about dealing with red tape and bureaucracy.
Drive.ai launches second autonomous ride-hailing pilot in Texas
Drive.ai's autonomous ride-hailing pilot is now available beyond one town, if only just. The startup has launched its promised second pilot in Arlington, Texas, a short distance away from Frisco. If you're in the downtown area, you can hop in one of the company's self-driving vans (complete with displays to signal their intent) along fixed routes. This might be your choice if you're a sports fan -- the routes can take you to and from Dallas Cowboys games at AT&T Stadium, and Texas Rangers games at Globe Life Park.
Uber will make more personalized ride recommendations
Uber's app is getting a little smarter. TechCrunch reports that the company will begin making more personalized ride recommendations that take into account the length of your trip, your destination and your previous ride history. Ultimately, the goal is to better incorporate Uber's various ride options -- including its Jump bikes -- and to propose transportation that makes sense for you and sense for the type of trip you're taking.
Uber wants to give company stock to its drivers
This week, Uber sent a letter to the Securities and Exchanges Commission requesting that the organization change its rules and allow it to grant company stock to its drivers. The letter was obtained by Axios. While Uber has been interested in this subject for some time, previous SEC heads have been hostile to the idea. However, the new chairman Jay Clayton has requested comments on the issue, indicating he is open to changes.
Google Assistant now helps you book taxis
Google's rolled out a bunch of new features for Assistant this week, and it's not finished yet. Now, you'll be able to use it to easily book ride services. So with your Android, iPhone, Google Home or any smart speaker with the Assistant, you just need to say "Hey Google, book a ride to...." Or "Hey Google, get me a taxi to... ." You'll then be given a list of popular ride services to choose from, including Uber, Lyft, Ola and Grab, along with information on estimated pricing and wait times.
Lyft lets passengers provide feedback mid-trip
Lyft is rolling out a new feature that will let riders give feedback about their trip while they're still on it, Mashable reports. For now, it's only available for a small group of users and only for those who've opted for a shared ride, but those with access to it will see a "How's your route?" prompt when they open the Lyft app during a ride. Tapping the question, will give you three feedback options -- bad, ok and great -- and after selecting one, you'll be able to elaborate on what's making the ride good or bad through a selection of prepared options.
Lyft Concierge lets businesses schedule flexible rides
Lyft's Concierge service, which opened up to all businesses earlier this year, lets companies and organizations hail rides for their customers, patients and employees. While it lets those businesses offer an additional service, it's not always clear exactly when a passenger will need a ride. That's why Lyft Concierge is introducing flexible scheduling, which will let passengers use their scheduled ride when they're ready for it. Lyft notes that this new feature will be useful for passengers hit with unexpected delays, like lost baggage at an airport or a long doctor's appointment.
Uber app tweak shows how you'll swap between calling a car and a scooter
Uber has stated its intentions to include scooters alongside in its retinue of transportation options, and last week, news emerged that they're planning on building their own models alongside bike and car rentals. How the company plans to integrate all those offerings has been unclear, and will likely be difficult. But today, Uber revealed how users of its app will toggle between all their offerings with a feature called Mode Switch.
Uber gives drivers emergency button and conceals passenger locations
Uber has added more safety features for passengers and drivers in the last few months, like alerts for trusted contacts and a button to quickly contact emergency services. Today, the company unveiled a roadmap for additional features -- some they're implementing now and others they expect to roll into the platform in the future, from checking in on rides with strange activity to adding voice commands for drivers.
Didi to spend $20 million on customer service after passenger murders
Didi Chuxing will spend $20 million on measures meant to fortify its customer service, according to Reuters. The Chinese ride-hailing firm's founder, Cheng Wei, announced the investment to a group of government regulators who visited Didi's offices for a nationwide inspection triggered by a harrowing incident wherein one of its drivers raped and killed a female passenger. Didi halted its carpooling service across the country after authorities confirmed the event, which occurred on August 24th, and after an investigation revealed that it could've been prevented if the company has better customer service.
Lyft and Aptiv complete 5,000 self-driving rides in Las Vegas
Lyft's experiment with paid self-driving rides in Las Vegas appears to be going as smoothly as you might hope. Lyft and its partner Aptiv have revealed that they've completed 5,000 autonomous trips since launching service earlier in 2018. The passengers are happy with the experience, Lyft claimed. About 96 percent said they planned to use self-driving service again, while 20 percent have already used the service at least twice. Lyft also touted the average five-star rating, although that's not surprising when max ratings are par for the course among human ridesharing drivers.
London’s mayor wants to cap ride-hailing licenses too
The mayor of London is looking to put a cap on the number of ride-hailing drivers in the city, the Guardian reports, and is asking the government to grant him the powers to impose such limits. The move comes just as New York City institutes a one-year moratorium on licensing new ride-hailing drivers. Mayor Sadiq Khan reportedly sent a letter to Chris Grayling, the UK's transport secretary, saying that he was "determined to create a vibrant taxi and private hire market in the capital, with space for all providers to flourish." However, he noted that the massive increase in private hire drivers in the city was "causing increased congestion, polluting our air and leaving many drivers struggling to make enough money to support themselves and their families."
NYC mayor signs ride-hailing vehicle cap into law
After the New York City Council passed legislation proposing a cap on all ride-hailing vehicles, mayor Bill de Blasio signed it into law today. This makes it the first US city to limit the total number of drivers working for Uber, Lyft and other services.
Indian ride-hailing giant Ola launches in the UK
Uber may not want to get too comfy as it rebuilds its London presence -- it's about to get stiff competition. Indian ride-hailing giant Ola has unveiled plans to launch in the UK. The company is recruiting drivers in Cardiff, Newport and Vale of Glamorgan as of today, and expects to be available "nationwide" by the end of 2018. And unlike some bids to crack the UK market, it promises to both provide a few competitive advantages and avoid regulatory trouble.
Lyft challenges Chicago residents to dump their cars for free rides
Today, Lyft announced a new program called Ditch With Lyft. The ridesharing company is encouraging Chicago's car owners to stop driving their cars for a month and switch instead to using public transportation and services such as Lyft, Zipcar and Divvy Bike. To accomplish this, they will give participants a total of $550 in credit for these services.
Uber drivers have completed more than 10 billion trips
Uber announced today that on June 10th, 173 trips and deliveries that began simultaneously pushed the company past a record of 10 billion completed trips. Uber hit its 10 billionth trip just over a year after it completed its five billionth and the company said that the 173 trips occurred in more than 21 countries and five continents.
Uber's HR chief steps down following racial discrimination probe
Uber's Chief People Officer Liane Hornsey has resigned after a third-party firm investigated allegations that she routinely dismissed internal racial discrimination complaints. She joined the company a month before former engineer Susan Fowler penned a blog post talking about the rampant sexual harassment and sexism she endured at Uber. As head of the HR department, Hornsey served as one of the company's top spokespersons on issues regarding diversity and discrimination throughout the upheaval that followed. Bo Young Lee, the ride-hailing firm's first diversity chief, was even ordered to report to her instead of to the company's new CEO Dara Khosrowshahi.
Daimler and Bosch will use NVIDIA to power self-driving taxis
Putting self-driving cars on the streets requires a lot of computing power. Most test cars on the road have PC towers in their trunk that take up space, suck up power and produce a lot of heat. With that in mind Daimler (the parent company of Mercedes-Benz) and Bosch have announced they will be using the NVIDIA Drive Pegasus self-driving AI platform.
