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Toyota invests $1 billion in one of Asia's biggest ride-sharing companies
Who knew that ride-sharing investments would become a large facet of Toyota's business strategy. The automotive giant has stakes in Uber, competitor Japan Taxi, and now, it's enthusiastically throwing $1 billion -- its biggest sum yet -- at Southeast Asian outfit Grab.
The Ford Fusion Energi hybrid is great but going away
A week before I took delivery of the Ford Fusion Energi (starting at $31,400), the automaker announced it would be ending the US production of all but one of its cars (the Mustang) in the next few years. The Fusion's days are numbered, and no single review would save it. So now what?
Uber will test a taxi-hailing service in Japan
Ridesharing companies legally require professional drivers in Japan, which limits Uber's options. Right now, it can only offer its most familiar service in areas where there are no viable alternatives. As such, it's trying a different strategy: it's partnering with the taxi companies it normally tries to beat. Uber has told Reuters it's launching a taxi-hailing pilot on the island of Awaji (near Osaka) where customers will use its app to hail cabs from 20 local firms. The initiative will get underway in the months ahead and last through March 2019.
Didi Chuxing receives permit to test self-driving cars in California
You might not hail a ride from China's Didi Chuxing unless you visit Mexico, but there's still a real chance you'll see its vehicles on the road. California's Department of Motor Vehicles has issued an autonomous vehicle testing permit to Didi's American research wing, clearing it to operate self-driving cars as long as there's a safety driver. The move comes slightly over a year after Didi opened its US research lab, suggesting the company isn't wasting much time putting its technology on the road.
You can rate your Uber driver during your trip
If you've ever experienced a less than ideal Uber ride but then rushed through the rating process once you arrived at your destination, giving five stars for a ride that deserved less than that, you're not alone. And Uber is tweaking its app to take those sorts of situations into account, TechCrunch reports. While Uber riders previously had to wait to the end of a ride to give a star rating, feedback or a tip, they'll now be able to do so mid-ride.
Drive.ai to launch first autonomous ride-hailing service in Texas
Texas is no stranger to self-driving car tests, but actual service? Not yet, although it's just around the corner. AI startup Drive.ai is launching the state's first autonomous ride-hailing service in Frisco this July in a pilot program with support from both the city and the Hall Group. This isn't a city-wide service. Instead, the company's vans will drive on public roads between Hall Park offices and The Star to help workers get to dining and shopping that's too far to walk, but a waste to drive.
Uber is sharing curbside data with cities
As part of Uber's image redemption, the company has joined groups like, say, the International Association of Public Transport to improve relations with the public and civic administrations. And while the ride-hailing company has had poor relationships with some cities, now it will share some of its vast street-and-curbside data with civic governments, whose own road records can be split up or out-of-date.
Uber buys San Francisco bike-sharing service Jump
Uber is getting serious about its bike-sharing aspirations. The company just announced its purchase of Jump, the bike-sharing platform featuring "electric, dock-less" bikes. Previously, Jump bikes were available in the Uber app as part of a pilot program. Rather than going to a specific rack in the city, bikes from Jump can be dropped off and locked up wherever it's legal to park a bike. Details are scant at the moment, but it looks like you can order a bike as easy as you'd order a black car or Prius. You can also continue to use the Jump app if you'd rather.
China’s ride-hailing service Didi Chuxing recruits drivers in Mexico
In December, Reuters reported that China's Didi Chuxing ride-hailing company would be expanding its business into Mexico, taking on rival Uber, which has the largest foothold in the country. Now, Reuters reports that the company is actively recruiting drivers and plans a launch in Toluca, Mexico. Sources familiar with the plan said Didi's ride-hailing app would go live this month. To get people on board, Didi will not take a cut of drivers' fares until June 17th and those who recruit other drivers and passengers will get a bonus. When it does start taking a cut of fares, Didi's portion will be 20 percent, below the 25 percent Uber takes in Mexico.
BMW and Daimler will combine their transportation services
If it seems ridiculous that virtually every major car manufacturer has its own suite of transportation services, you're not alone. BMW and Daimler have announced a plan to combine their mobility services in a 50/50 joint venture. Car2Go and DriveNow/ReachNow will unite their car sharing efforts, for example, while ChargeNow and Digital Charging Solutions would team up on EV power. Ride hailing, parking are also part of the proposed union.
Uber officially launches ‘Uber Express Pool’ in select cities
After being piloted in Boston and San Francisco, Uber is officially launching Express Pool in those two cities along with Los Angeles, DC, Miami, San Diego, Philadelphia and Denver. The ride-hailing company plans on launching the service in more cities soon.
Sony may launch an AI-powered taxi hailing system
Sony definitely isn't the first name you think of when you're looking for a ride, but that might change soon in its native Japan. Nikkei has learned that the tech heavyweight is leading an alliance of taxi companies (Checker Cab, Daiwa Motor Transportation, Green Cab, Hinomaru Kotsu and Kokusai Motorcars) in the creation of an AI-powered hailing platform. The algorithmic system would dispatch taxis more effectively by studying a host of conditions like traffic, weather and events. It might send a horde of drivers near the end of a concert, for instance.
Uber is reportedly preparing to sell its Southeast Asia business
Late last year Uber sold off its business in China to a competitor, and now it looks like the Southeast Asia region could follow a similar path. CNBC reports that it's preparing to make a deal with Grab, a company that claimed to have 95 percent of ride-hailing business in the region last year. Grab was in the middle of raising a $2.5 billion round of investments from sources including (recent Uber investor) Softbank when it made that claim, and the rumored deal would give Uber a "sizable" stake in its competitor. If this happens, it could, like the company's settlement with Waymo over trade secrets, help Uber pave the way for an IPO soon.
Uber’s battle to get your car to arrive on time
Maps were essential to the exploration of the world. Most of our history books are filled with people who decided to go out into the abyss with just an inkling of what they would find, usually based on incomplete or even nonexistent charts. Uber and other ride-hailing systems started a bit like that, creating a business that relied on regular people driving other regular people around. It wasn't completely uncharted -- we've had taxis and their illegal counterparts, "pirate taxis," forever. Today, everything an Uber car or driver does is mapped, catalogued and analyzed. Not because Uber wants to or because it's exploring strange new worlds but because it needs to.
India's Uber rival Ola expands into Australia
While Uber is distracted with lawsuits and a London ban, its ride-hailing rivals are expanding. First it was China's Didi arriving in Brazil and Taiwan, and now its Ola's turn. The Indian company, which shares common investors Softbank and Didi with Uber, is heading to Australia. Ola said it's started adding private hire vehicle drivers in Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth in its first move outside of its native India.
Addison Lee’s private minicab app goes global
Addison Lee is trying to shake off its image as a London-focused taxi service and re-establish itself as a ride-hailing app that works around the world. Today, the company announced a "digital global service" that anyone can use to book minicabs in over 100 cities worldwide. In some locations, that will mean Addison-owned vehicles, but in others your trip will be handled by one of its 5,000 affiliate partners. Addison Lee, in short, wants to be the app that lives on your home screen — a reliable and convenient alternative to Uber, Lyft and similar taxi hire services.
Here wants to help ride-hailing services find new passengers
Ride-hailing services are big business, and Here wants a piece of the action. Today the company -- created by Nokia and sold to a consortium of German car manufacturers in 2015 -- has announced a new division called Here Mobility. Its purpose is to develop a platform or marketplace where businesses can request and sell ride-hailing services. A hotel, for instance, might want to offer one or two options through its website. In theory, it would connect to the Mobility Marketplace and select the services that best suit its needs and those of its customers. It's also possible that end consumers would be able to compare and choose the supplier themselves.
Waymo preps for self-driving taxi service with rider insurance deal
Waymo faces a slew of challenges if it's going to get its autonomous taxi service up and running, not the least of which is insurance. Who's going to cover passengers when there's no human pilot to help determine who's responsible? Thankfully, someone has stepped up to the plate. Waymo has struck a deal with insurance tech startup Trov to protect passengers when the service goes live in Phoenix in 2018. Trov has adapted its on-demand insurance to be triggered by software instead of a human, giving you automatic coverage during your trip without having to pay extra or even acknowledge that the policy is taking effect.
Uber will soon have to compete with China's Didi Chuxing in Mexico
China's major ride-hailing company Didi Chuxing is expanding its services to Mexico, Reuters reports. This will be Didi's first international expansion and sources told Reuters that the company is planning to launch in Mexico during the first quarter of 2018, though exactly where in the country wasn't made clear.
Uber says 2016 hack affected 2.7 million UK customers and drivers
As Uber prepares to defend itself following news that it suffered -- and subsequently hid -- a massive data breach in 2016, the company has begun shedding light on how many people it affected locally. At first count, 57 million global users were implicated in the attack, but the ride-hailing service today revealed that as many as 2.7 million UK customers and drivers had their names, email addresses and mobile phone numbers stolen.
