London is one of the world’s biggest markets for consumers that travel using ride-hailing services. Is it now also becoming one of the most crowded when it comes to the companies offering the transportation, too? Today, India’s Ola confirmed that it is the latest of the wave of app-based ride-hailing providers to receive a license… Continue reading Ola gets a taxi license in London and plans to launch services in September
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BMW and Daimler to team up in push toward self-driving cars
Andrzej Wojcicki | Science Photo Library | Getty ImagesBMW and Mercedes-manufacturer Daimler announced a new partnership on Thursday to develop autonomous driving.
Some 1,200 technicians from the two German auto giants will team up in a bid to develop self-driving technology. The engineers will work toward driver-assistance systems, automated driving on highways as well as parking. The firms say the technology will be specified to what industry insiders call SAE level 4.
“Further talks are planned to extend the cooperation to higher levels of automation in urban areas and city centers,” BMW said in a joint statement.
SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) levels determine the automation capabilities of vehicles, ranking from zero to five.
Level 4 vehicles can intervene if things go wrong or if there is a system failure. The car can perform all functions itself, although a manual override is available to a driver.
Daimler and BMW said they are targeting 2024 as a key date for installing the technology in cars available to the general public.
The automakers said the cooperation is “non-exclusive” and partner manufacturers and technology firms will take part in the work.
They added that the results won't be kept secret and other firms can see the conclusions “under license.”
Safer than a human?On Tuesday, the two German companies joined with nine other firms to publish a white paper on driverless technology, entitled “Safety First for Automated Driving.”
The report aims to draft worldwide industry standards for tackling the risks of self-driving cars and trucks.
Authors and experts from the firms involved say they aim to present the paper's principles and findings at auto industry and technology conferences over the next few months.
BMW said the main goal of the paper is to create a situation where an autonomously-driven vehicle is proven to be safer than one involving full human control.
Other participants in the document included Audi, Baidu, Continental, Fiat Chrysler, Here Technologies, Infineon, Intel, Volkswagen and Aptiv.
Now watch: Uber unveils its autonomous carVIDEO2:3902:39Uber looks to reduce costs with autonomous vehiclesSquawk Box
Indonesian trucking startup Ritase raises $8.5m Series A led by Golden Gate
Indonesian trucking services platform Ritase has closed a Series A funding round of $8.5 million led by Golden Gate Ventures to propel its growth and expand into new markets. Other investors that participated in the round are Jafco Asia and ZWC Ventures, as well as existing backers including Insignia Ventures, Beenext and Skystar Capital, Ritase… Continue reading Indonesian trucking startup Ritase raises $8.5m Series A led by Golden Gate
China’s Didi removes 300,000 drivers amid safety overhaul
2018 was the year when Didi Chuxing, the ride-hailing company that defeated Uber in China, vowed to put safety ahead of rocket-ship growth after two deadly passenger incidents. One way it works to ramp up safety is a stricter vetting process for drivers. The mobility giant said Tuesday to a group of media that it… Continue reading China’s Didi removes 300,000 drivers amid safety overhaul
Transit and Communauto FLEX launch new partnership in Toronto
Download Transit to find, reserve, and unlock point-to-point carshare vehicles with Communauto FLEX
Toronto, ON – Transit, the leading app for getting around Toronto without your own car, and Communauto FLEX, Toronto’s point-to-point carshare service, announce a new partnership today that makes it easier than ever for Torontonians to get from a-to-b without using their own cars.
Starting today, users of Transit, available for free in the App Store and Google Play, can see the nearest Communauto FLEX vehicles available — then reserve, unlock, and complete their trips, all from within Transit’s app using their Communauto FLEX account.
Users simply tap a Communauto FLEX pin on the map showing the nearest vehicle, reserve the car with a single tap, walk to the vehicle, and tap in Transit to unlock the car. Once the trip is complete, users can end their trip by tapping a final time in Transit.
To celebrate this new addition, Transit users who sign up for Communauto FLEX for the first time receive $20 in driving credit using a special promotional code.
Connecting Torontonians with Communauto FLEX is a natural next step for Transit. The app already integrates realtime information for the TTC, GO Transit, and all major transit operators in the Greater Toronto Area. It’s also completely integrated with Bike Share Toronto. Since 2016, Transit users have purchased passes and unlocked bikes with Bike Share Toronto more than a million times. Today, 40 percent of Bike Share Toronto trips are unlocked with Transit. Transit is also integrated with Uber, allowing users to hail and pay for a ride to the nearest transit connection within the app. Transit has also recently added a feature that allows users in Ontario to purchase transit tickets within the app, starting with the St. Catharines Transit Commission.
With Communauto FLEX, Transit users now have a complete mix of transportation options in Toronto available in a single app, including public transit, bikeshare, ridehail, and carshare. By combining transportation options, Transit makes it easy for Torontonians to get around without their own car.
“We’re proud to announce Communauto FLEX as a partner in Toronto,” said Jake Sion, Chief Operating Officer of Transit. “By making it easier to access carshare in the app that hundreds of thousands of Torontonians use every week, we’re expanding the reach of pointtopoint carshare and reducing the need for people to own their own cars.”
“Communauto’s mission is to provide an affordable and practical alternative to car ownership in combination with transit, biking, walking and other alternative transportation,” said Marco Viviani, Vice President of Strategic Development at Commuanuto. “Technology has a big role in making this possible and this partnership with Transit allows us to make the multimodal experience we want to provide more and more seamless.”
Transit is available in the App Store or Google Play, or by visiting www.transitapp.com
Press kit and visuals: www.transitapp.com/press and toronto.communauto.com/media
About Transit: Transit solves the urban commute in more than 200 cities worldwide. Users can easily navigate public transit with accurate real-time
predictions, simple trip planning, and step-by-step navigation. The app also integrates other transport modes — bikesharing, carsharing, scooters and ridehail — so users can determine the best way to get from A to B. The company is based in Montréal, QC. You can learn more by visiting www.transitapp.com.
About Communauto: Founded in Quebec City in 1994, Communauto is the oldest carsharing service in North America and the one serving the largest number of communities in Canada. With a fleet of more than 2,000 vehicles, the company serves 13 cities each one with a local approach. Among these are Edmonton, Waterloo Region, Hamilton, London, Guelph, Kingston, Ottawa, Gatineau, Montréal/Laval/ Longueuil, Quebec City/Lévis, Sherbrooke, Halifax, and Paris in France. Communauto group operates gas, hybrids and electric cars and offers both roundtrip and freefloating carsharing. Learn more by visiting toronto.communauto.com.
Ola Electric becomes India’s newest unicorn with new $250 million investment from SoftBank
India’s Ola is further widening its lead over Uber in the nation — and getting the help it needs from their mutual investor. Ola Electric has raised $250 million from SoftBank as India’s largest ride hailing firm pushes to scale its electric vehicles business in the country. The Series B financing round, details of which… Continue reading Ola Electric becomes India’s newest unicorn with new $250 million investment from SoftBank
Waymo makes autonomous vehicles available to Lyft riders
VIDEO5:2505:25Self-driving Waymo minivans are now available on Lyft in ArizonaSquawk BoxWaymo, a subsidiary of Google-parent Alphabet which is developing autonomous vehicles and related services, has officially expanded its reach and is now making some of its self-driving minivans available for customers of ride-share firm Lyft.
The rides are restricted to a small area just outside of Phoenix, Arizona, where Waymo has been testing self-driving vehicles and has started its own autonomous ride-share service called Waymo One.
Waymo's limited partnership with Lyft is the latest example of the company branching out to work with more companies as it develops autonomous vehicles and services. Earlier this month, Waymo struck a deal with Nissan and Renault to build self-driving vehicles for those automakers.
By partnering with Lyft, Waymo CEO John Krafcik believes the relationship gives both companies “the opportunity to collect valuable feedback.” For Waymo it will be able to better gauge how the public interacts with a self-driving vehicle. Until now, those getting rides in Waymo vehicles in the Phoenix area have been pre-screened and accepted into the Waymo early rider program.
Waymo's steady expansion comes as competitors are making their own plans to roll autonomous ride-share services. Later this year, General Motors subsidiary Cruise, is expected to unveil an autonomous ride-share service in a small area in or near San Francisco.
Uber, which dominates the ride-share industry in the U.S., is also working on its own fleet of self-driving vehicles. Earlier this month, Eric Meyhofer, the head of Uber's Advanced Technologies Group, told CNBC his company is working to deploy self-driving cars without safety drivers in limited areas. But he said Uber wants to be in “the good graces of public trust and regulatory trust” before deciding when to roll out Uber vehicles without someone behind the wheel.
Michelle Krebs, an analyst for Autotrader, believes widespread deployment of self-driving vehicles, whether in a ride-share program or elsewhere, is still years from happening.
VIDEO6:1806:18Tesla could surprise to the upside with autonomous driving: AnalystTrading Nation “Nobody knows the right answers technically, and certainly, nobody knows the right answer for building a business model,” she said. “So I think there is going to be a lot of partnering up, changing partners, and figuring out strategies before this settles out, and I think that's a way down the road.”
For now, Waymo is making just a handful of its vehicles available in the Phoenix area and eventually, up to 10 Waymo self-driving minivans will be eligible for Lyft rides. The service will be limited to those Lyft customers planning to start and complete a ride within the geofenced area where Waymo vehicles have been operating.
When Lyft customers in certain suburbs of Phoenix call up the app on the phone and look for a ride, they will be offered the chance to be shuttled in a Waymo autonomous-drive minivan or a traditional Lyft vehicle with a human driver. The Waymo minivans in the Lyft program will all have a safety driver behind the wheel.
Carnegie Mellon, Argo AI Form $15M Self-Driving Car Research Center
Carnegie Mellon University this week announced a five-year research partnership with Argo AI that will focus on advanced perception and decision-making algorithms for autonomous vehicles (AVs). Argo AI, a Pittsburgh-based self-driving car startup whose majority investor is Ford (NYSE: F), is spending $15 million to fund the effort, which will be called the Carnegie Mellon… Continue reading Carnegie Mellon, Argo AI Form $15M Self-Driving Car Research Center
Careem ends Sudan operations as part of Uber takeover deal
FILE PHOTO: Careem employees walk past the company headquarters in Dubai, UAE December 13, 2018. REUTERS/Satish Kumar/File Photo DUBAI (Reuters) – Careem has ended operations in Sudan as part of its planned takeover by Uber, a spokeswoman said on Monday, less than a year after the Middle Eastern ride-hailing firm launched in the country. Careem… Continue reading Careem ends Sudan operations as part of Uber takeover deal
Uber Says Driverless Cars Can Only Happen in Lockstep With Regulators – Yahoo Finance
Uber Says Driverless Cars Can Only Happen in Lockstep With Regulators More Eric Meyhofer, the head of Uber’s advanced technology group, dispelled any notion on Thursday that driverless cars are a pipe dream or laughable relics from an old Jetsons cartoon. Subscribe to Skift newsletters covering the business of travel, restaurants, and wellness. Go to… Continue reading Uber Says Driverless Cars Can Only Happen in Lockstep With Regulators – Yahoo Finance