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Lyft suspends its Bay Area carpooling service
Lyft has learned a valuable lesson from one of its most recent ventures: the carpooling biz is tough to get into. The company is "pausing" the carpooling service it launched for the Bay Area just a few months ago, and according to Forbes, it's all because it wasn't able to entice enough drivers to sign up for it. Lyft presented the program as a way to earn between $4 and $10 per ride just by picking up people going the same way. Unfortunately, things didn't work out, and the company reportedly told the team behind the offering that they'll be transferred to other divisions.
Google is opening a dedicated space for startups in San Francisco
With its close ties to San Francisco and Silicon Valley, Google naturally has its hands in the region's huge startup economy. To further its involvement, the company has announced plans to open a 14,000 square foot space right in the heart of San Francisco to work directly with various startups and developers. Google hasn't released a ton of details yet, but it says that the space will hold events including the company's Codelabs, Design Sprints and Tech Talks. It'll also host meetups of the Google developer community.
Pepper the robot is ready to greet the great American public
Pepper's resume is already packed with an impressive list of multinationals in both Japan and Asia, but now the robot is ready to meet and greet in English, specifically in San Francisco, where it'll be working inside tech retailer b8ta's flagship store. It'll only be there a week, so it's best to think of it as a kind of overseas work experience for the wee robot. The internship starts August 11th, and will involve Pepper greeting and guiding customers, presumably alongside awkward banter and robotic arm flourishes. The tech store says there will be special events and prize giveaways during the robot's stay, with a special developers' workshop for robot programmers of the future. That kicks off on the evening of August 16th. Hit up the store's Facebook page for all the details -- and see how the robot fared when we first met it on US soil after the break.
San Francisco is testing an algorithm that sets bail
The San Francisco justice system has apparently been testing out an algorithm that can make release recommendations and compute for a bail amount based on several factors. In particular, it looks at defendants' pending charges, age and how frequently they show up to court. What it doesn't take into account is a person's educational background and financial status. See, the city began testing the algorithm in May, months after critics accused the local government of having a bail system that favors the rich and unjustly penalizes the poor and people of color.
Zuckerberg foundation aims to help with SF's housing crisis
The influx of engineers, employees and entrepreneurs into Silicon Valley has caused area housing prices to skyrocket, pushing out locals and earning the industry some deserved ill-will. Now the nascent Chan Zuckerberg Initiative has turned its attention to the problem, spending the last few weeks meeting with experts. But the endeavor is still heavily in the research phase, so don't expect it to find a solution to the complex housing crisis soon.
Lyft goes classy with new Premier service
Lyft has always played the more casual, laid-back ridesharing option to Uber's fleet of black cars and SUVs, but that vibe is about to grow up a little with today's launch of Lyft Premier. The new option, which is available now in the Bay Area, Los Angeles and New York City, is being billed as a "more stylish" ride for business trips or a special night out.
Airbnb files suit against San Francisco over rental laws
Airbnb's long-running tussles with home-city San Francisco have escalated even further. The rental outfit recently sued the city, claiming that a new law requiring hosts to register their living spaces with local government before listing them via Airbnb violates federal law. Which law? The Communications Decency Act, which, in part, ensures a website isn't on the hook for any damages that arise from what users might post on said website.
Uber's delivery service just went mainstream
You probably know Uber as a company that takes you places. Soon, you may know it as the company that brings you pizza. And groceries. And laundry. And... well, everything. Today, Uber took its on-demand delivery service out of beta, opening the UberRush courier program to any company that wants it. The downside? The delivery program's service area is still limited to just three cities: San Francisco, Chicago and New York.
A San Francisco housing complex is subsidizing Uber rides
While some communities aren't so sure about ridesharing, an upscale development is actually paying residents to use it. Parcmerced, a planned apartment complex in the southwest corner of San Francisco, has partnered with Uber to encourage residents to ditch their cars. The townhouse and apartment complex offers a $100 transit subsidy toward bus and train services, but residents must spend at least $30 of that on Uber rides. The remaining $70 (or less) can be used on a Clipper card, which gives users access to the BART and Muni light rail services.
GM is already testing self-driving Chevy Bolts
That didn't take long. Just weeks after GM bought Cruise Automation to give its self-driving car initiative a boost, the spy photographers at SpiedBilde have spotted multiple Chevy Bolts roaming around San Francisco with autonomous driving sensors on their roofs. In fact, one of the drivers is Cruise Automation co-founder Kyle Vogt -- clearly, he's taking the hands-on approach in this collaboration.
Waze begins testing new carpooling service in the Bay Area
Google-owned navigation app Waze is bringing their carpool pilot program stateside. The company will test the new Waze Rider app with 25,000 employees at select Bay Area companies who will be able to get a ride to work with the over 700,000 local drivers using Waze.
Razer's first US retail store is also an arcade
Console gaming killed the American arcade, but it's possible that PC gaming might be responsible for the resurrection. Razer is opening its first US-based retail store in San Francisco but it sounds more like the arcades of yore than a high-end retailer. The centerpiece of the 1,300 square foot, two level outlet is the 20 "gaming stations" where patrons are encouraged to "stay all day and play games." In addition, the company will support the local community with regular gaming competitions, which will be broadcast on the store's 16 x 9-foot video wall.
San Francisco mandates rooftop solar panels starting in 2017
San Francisco has been pushing toward 100 percent of its energy to come from renewable resources for a while now. And to further that, the city recently passed legislation that would require new construction to install solar panels on building roofs -- an extension of existing legislation that stated 15 percent of a rooftop be reserved for solar use. The city says this is the first mandate of its kind, and that new buildings 10-stories tall or shorter will have to install photovoltaic panels or solar water heaters. The law won't go into effect until January 1st next year.
Uber, Lyft drivers will need a business permit in San Francisco
Uber and Lyft drivers in San Francisco will have to register for a business permit if they want to continue earning money from giving and sharing rides. City Treasurer Jose Cisneros has begun sending out letters to 37,018 drivers in the city letting them know of the new requirement, according to SFGate. It's unclear how Cisneros got a hold of their names and why he's suddenly decided to enforce a new rule. But SFGate notes that the city is basically telling the companies that if they refuse to recognize their drivers as employees, then they have to require them to get business permits as contractors. Also, if every driver applies for one, which costs $91 a year for those who make $100,000 or less in gross receipts, then the city will make $3.37 million a year.
Uber settles background check lawsuit in California
Uber promises never to describe its service as the "safest ride on the road" or call its background check process "the gold standard" again. That's one of the terms it agreed to when it hashed out a settlement agreement with the San Francisco and Los Angeles District Attorney's offices. They filed a lawsuit against Uber back in 2014 over "false and misleading statements to consumers," specifically its claims that it conducts very thorough background checks. Unlike taxi operators, the company doesn't vet its drivers' fingerprints. If the ridesharing provider is caught breaking the DAs terms within the next two years, it will be legally obligated to pay $15 million on top of the $10 it has to hand over in 60 days.
Airbnb cracks down on illegal hotels in its home town
San Francisco regulates short-term rental services like Airbnb, but there's still plenty of abuse. Locals can still point to property owners illegally offering short-term stays in homes they don't live in, making an already dire housing situation even worse. However, Airbnb is now promising to do something about it. It's investigating hosts in its home town with multiple listings, and promises to kick out "unwelcome commercial operators" that are running illegal hotels. The company reckons that 671 whole-home listings (from just 288 hosts), or about 7 percent of all San Francisco listings, are suspicious enough to warrant a closer look.
Lyft has a new carpooling service for the Bay Area
If you're in the Bay Area, you can add Lyft's upcoming carpooling service to the list of ridesharing options you can use to get around. The company has joined forces with the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) and SF Bay's 511 Rideshare program to launch a new carpooling service separate from its other products. Based on the info available on its website, it'll work just like any other similar offering: simply tell the app your route, and it will match you with people going the same way. You save money, and so will they.
On the Brink of Greatness: Senior Startup Challenge
Silicon Valley is a young, vibrant place that values youth as a commodity above all else, so what can it do for older people? Can technology offer something for the folks that aren't scooting around on self-balancing skateboards? That's the question Steve Goldbloom and his crew want to ask with this week's episode of mockumentary On the Brink of Greatness. He's taken representatives from five local startups to the Piedmont Gardens retirement community to face the wrath of a shark tank.
Google Fiber is coming to San Francisco
That sound you heard was the collective sigh of relief from legions of Bay Area tech workers. At long last, Google has announced that it's bringing Fiber to San Francisco -- the heart of the industry will finally get to see how Google's gigabit internet service works in practice, not just in tests. The company will use existing fiber optic deployments to wire up apartments and condos, and residents in affordable housing projects will get it for free.
Uber drivers' rates protest takes to the SF streets
The Uber drivers are milling around in the parking lot of the now demolished Candlestick Park and they're antsy. But mostly, they're pissed. They're making less than when they first started driving for the company. Their leader Mario (last name withheld) shows up a few minutes before the 2pm meeting time followed by an additional 20 cars. The group crowds around him as he hands out fliers and peppers him with questions. They're getting organized to show the ride-sharing platform how upset they are and in the process, screw up traffic in San Francisco.
