We’re familiar with Uber cozying up to scooter startups — it has bought one and invested in another — but over in India, the U.S. firm’s key rival is hatching a major alliance of its own it invested $100 million in scooter rental startup Vogo. Ola first invested back in August when Vogo raised an undisclosed Series… Continue reading Ola, Uber’s India rival, invests $100M in scooter rental startup Vogo
Author: Tech Crunch Online News
BMW’s premium ride-hailing service is now live in China
BMW has joined a handful of automakers to compete with transportation upstart Didi Chuxing, which bought Uber’s Chinese business in 2016. Last Friday, the German luxury carmaker launched a premium ride-hailing service in Chengdu, the capital of China’s Sichuan Province with over 14 million people. The new offer is part of BMW’s ReachNow carsharing brand that kicked… Continue reading BMW’s premium ride-hailing service is now live in China
Lime continues to battle San Francisco’s electric scooter decision
Electric scooter and bike-share company Lime is not giving up on San Francisco. This afternoon, Lime plans to protest on the steps of SF City Hall to petition the city’s scooter selection process. “We are calling the SFMTA to expand equitable transportation options throughout the City by allowing more choice and greater options, by requiring… Continue reading Lime continues to battle San Francisco’s electric scooter decision
China’s BYD further drives into Chile with 100 electric buses
Over the past few years, Chinese automaker giant BYD has been on a partnership spree with cities across China to electrify their public transportation systems, and now it’s extending its footprint across the globe. On Thursday, BYD announced that it has shipped 100 electric buses to Santiago, the capital city of Chile. The step marks… Continue reading China’s BYD further drives into Chile with 100 electric buses
A former Ofo exec is launching his own scooter startup
The funding extravaganza may be approaching its end for scooter “unicorns” Lime and Bird, but smaller startups in the micro-mobility space have continued to close venture capital rounds at a consistent pace. See Grin, Tier and Yellow for examples. The latest is Dott, a European scooter startup founded by Maxim Romain, Ofo’s former head of Europe, the… Continue reading A former Ofo exec is launching his own scooter startup
Getaround to expand Uber partnership to four more cities
Getaround, the peer-to-peer car-sharing service that first launched at TechCrunch Disrupt NY in 2011, is expanding a partnership with Uber that gives users access to rideshare-ready vehicles. The program, which launched as a pilot in May 2017 in San Francisco, is now available to Getaround customers in Los Angeles and San Diego. Two more cities, Philadelphia and Washington D.C. will soon… Continue reading Getaround to expand Uber partnership to four more cities
Stratim, formerly known as valet startup Zirx, sues co-founder for theft
Stratim, the mobility services company formerly known as Zirx, is suing its co-founder and now-former COO Shmulik Fishman for breach of fiduciary duties, civil conversion, criminal conversion, theft, criminal mischief, deception, unjust enrichment and fraud. The lawsuit’s co-plaintiff is Adesa, a subsidiary of KAR Auction Services, which acquired Stratim earlier this year. Stratim powers fleet management… Continue reading Stratim, formerly known as valet startup Zirx, sues co-founder for theft
Sidecar says Uber ‘took illegal steps to undermine’ competitors in new lawsuit
Sidecar, an early player in the ride-hailing business, is suing Uber, claiming the billion-dollar business “stifled competition in the market for ride-hailing applications,” according to a lawsuit filed in the U.S. district court in San Francisco on Tuesday — first reported by Reuters. The company, co-founded by Sunil Paul in 2011, alleges Uber “used a number of tactics… Continue reading Sidecar says Uber ‘took illegal steps to undermine’ competitors in new lawsuit
Vroom nabs $146M from AutoNation, VCs for its used car marketplace
Vroom has raised $146 million in Series G funding, an expansion to a $30 million investment we reported in early September. U.S. automotive retailer AutoNation led the round for the startup, with participation from existing investors T. Rowe Price, L Catterton, General Catalyst and Fraser McCombs Capital. The company declined to disclose the valuation, but… Continue reading Vroom nabs $146M from AutoNation, VCs for its used car marketplace
SoftBank invests in parking startup ParkJockey pushing valuation to $1 billion
SoftBank continues to invest in the future of transportation — this time in ParkJockey, a startup that has built a technology platform aimed at monetizing parking lots. And ParkJockey, which was founded in 2013, is already using that capital to scale up. Along with the SoftBank investment news, ParkJockey also announced that it was acquiring two… Continue reading SoftBank invests in parking startup ParkJockey pushing valuation to $1 billion