Uber unveiled a handful of new eco-focused features, services, and expansions today, as the ride-hailing giant doubles down on previous efforts to align itself with sustainable transport. The announcements came during the second instalment of Uber’s annual Go-Get product event — the first incarnation was held in New York last month with a focus on family,… Continue reading Uber toots its eco horn and gears up for big sustainability drive
Author: Tech Crunch Online News
Nuview’s lidar satellites hit $15M in funding as Leonardo DiCaprio joins latest round
Nuview, a startup that wants to map the entire landmass of Earth on an annual basis using space-based light detection and ranging (lidar) technology, has raised $15 million so far, TechCrunch has exclusively learned. That capital includes a $3 million seed round and an in-progress Series A, of which $12 million has closed so far,… Continue reading Nuview’s lidar satellites hit $15M in funding as Leonardo DiCaprio joins latest round
A Waymo self-driving car killed a dog in ‘unavoidable’ accident
A Waymo robotaxi operating in autonomous mode struck and killed a small dog last month in San Francisco, according to an incident report filed with the California Department of Motor Vehicles. The incident appears to have been unavoidable, based on information provided in the report. Any collision involving an autonomous vehicle — even one in… Continue reading A Waymo self-driving car killed a dog in ‘unavoidable’ accident
Gig workers in California to receive millions for unpaid vehicle expenses
Uber, Lyft, DoorDash and other app-based ride-hail and delivery companies will have to reimburse California gig workers potentially millions of dollars for unpaid vehicle expenses between 2022 and 2023. The back payments come from a provision in Proposition 22, the controversial law that classifies gig workers as independent contractors rather than employees and promises them… Continue reading Gig workers in California to receive millions for unpaid vehicle expenses
Ford pilot program offers Uber drivers in California flexible Mach-E leases
Ford has launched a pilot that will give Uber drivers access to flexible leases on Mustang Mach-E models in three California cities. The pilot program, called Ford Drive, launched Thursday in San Diego, San Francisco and Los Angeles. It’s an initiative of Ford Next, a division within Ford that incubates and launches new business that… Continue reading Ford pilot program offers Uber drivers in California flexible Mach-E leases
Uber drops ride discounts for subscribers, switches to cash back
“I only subscribed for the discounted rides, so I’ll go ahead and cancel now,” Harri Weber, a colleague and erstwhile Uber One subscriber, told TechCrunch. Ditching the 5% discount might also send Uber users into the arms of Lyft, whose Lyft Pink membership still offers 5% off on rides. Moving away from ride discounts also… Continue reading Uber drops ride discounts for subscribers, switches to cash back
Serve Robotics to deploy up to 2,000 sidewalk delivery bots on Uber Eats
Serve Robotics, the Uber spinout that builds autonomous sidewalk delivery robots, is expanding its partnership with Uber Eats. The Nvidia-backed startup will now deploy up to 2,000 of its cute little bots via Uber’s platform in multiple markets across the U.S. The partnership is slated to last through the beginning of 2026. This expansion not… Continue reading Serve Robotics to deploy up to 2,000 sidewalk delivery bots on Uber Eats
Waymo’s self-driving cars will be available on Uber’s app, starting in Phoenix
Waymo, Alphabet’s self-driving unit, has agreed to a multi-year strategic partnership with Uber that will see some of Waymo’s autonomous vehicle technology join Uber’s platform. The collaboration comes a few weeks after Waymo’s chief product officer Saswat Panigrahi said the company aims to increase ridership tenfold by next summer. By partnering with an existing ride-hail… Continue reading Waymo’s self-driving cars will be available on Uber’s app, starting in Phoenix
Cruise, Waymo near approval to charge for 24/7 robotaxis in San Francisco
Self-driving vehicle companies Waymo and Cruise are on the cusp of securing final approval to charge fares for fully autonomous robotaxi rides throughout the city of San Francisco at all hours of the day or night. Amid mounting resistance to the presence of AVs in the city, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) published two… Continue reading Cruise, Waymo near approval to charge for 24/7 robotaxis in San Francisco
How Uber is trying to create ‘stickiness’ for its app
Ride-hailing is back. But Uber’s looking to become more than a one-stop shop for booking rides. Growth — through products and expanded consumer groups — was the connecting thread at Uber’s Go-Get event this Wednesday in New York City, where the company announced a slew of new additions to its platform that, in many cases, don’t… Continue reading How Uber is trying to create ‘stickiness’ for its app