MUMBAI/NEW DELHI (Reuters) – In 2016, Rajesh Raut started driving an Uber taxi in Mumbai, hoping he could earn more than the $215 he received each month for making flatbreads at a roadside stall. Rajesh Raut, a former Uber driver, prays inside the truck that he currently drives and lives in, at a street in… Continue reading As Uber gears up for IPO, many Indian drivers talk of shattered dreams
Tag: Uber
Lyft riders in Phoenix will soon be able to hail Waymo driverless cars
John Krafcik, chief executive officer of Waymo Inc.David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesAlphabet's Waymo unit said on Tuesday that its self-driving vehicles will be available in the Phoenix area for users of ride-hailing service Lyft.
“As a first step, we'll deploy 10 Waymo vehicles on Lyft over the next few months,” Waymo CEO John Krafcik wrote in a post on Medium. “Once Waymo vehicles are on the platform, Lyft users in the area will have the option to select a Waymo directly from the Lyft app for eligible rides.”
Waymo attained regulatory approval and began to operate its driverless cars in Phoenix last year with human supervisors on board in a program it called Waymo One.
Truly driverless vehicles do not yet exist. However, ride-sharing businesses are eager for the advent of Level 4 autonomous vehicles, which would be able to operate in typical driving conditions without human supervision. These “robotaxis” could help ride-sharing businesses like Lyft and Uber skirt costs and liabilities associated with the human drivers on their platforms.
The Waymo-Lyft announcement follows promises made by Tesla CEO Elon Musk in recent weeks that his electric car company should have 1 million vehicles capable of functioning as robotaxis on the road next year, and that owners of the cars should be able to generate tens of thousands of dollars from them annually.
When Tesla began to discuss its ambitions in self-driving technology in 2016, Musk said they would conduct a hands-free trip across the US by late 2017. They have yet to complete that mission. And Tesla has not yet announced any regulatory approvals to operate a driverless transportation network.
Uber previously paused its self-driving vehicle programs in San Francisco, Pittsburgh, Phoenix and Toronto after a woman was hit and killed by an Uber self-driving car while was walking across the street one night in Tempe, Arizona, outside of Phoenix.
WATCH: Morgan Stanley upgrades Alphabet on Waymo hopes
VIDEO1:4801:48Morgan Stanley upgrades Alphabet on Waymo hopesSquawk on the Street
GOJEK, Allianz X back Africa-based ride-hailing firm SafeBoda
May 7, 2019 Indonesia’s ride-hailing firm GOJEK and Allianz X, the digital investment arm of global insurance group Allianz, have co-invested in an unspecified Series B funding round for Uganda-based ride-hailing firm SafeBoda. GOJEK made the investment through its venture capital arm Go-Ventures, per an Allianz X statement. The Indonesian firm has previously backed Bangladeshi… Continue reading GOJEK, Allianz X back Africa-based ride-hailing firm SafeBoda
Ride-Hailing Drivers Plan Strike
Uber’s IPO is expected to raise $9 billion. Photo via Uber. Uber and Lyft drivers across the globe are planning a walk out Wednesday to protest working conditions and wages, the Washington Post reports. The strike, planned ahead of Uber’s Friday initial public offering (IPO), is being backed by the New York Taxi Workers Alliance.… Continue reading Ride-Hailing Drivers Plan Strike
As IPO looms, Uber clings to hard-knuckled tactics in pursuit of growth
SAN FRANCISCO/ CAPE TOWN (Reuters) – Uber co-founder and former CEO Travis Kalanick used to tell investors he liked to keep his company teetering between order and chaos. A traffic official checks an impounded Uber vehicle during a clampdown on drivers operating without permits in Cape Town, South Africa, May 4, 2019. REUTERS/Sumaya Hisham By… Continue reading As IPO looms, Uber clings to hard-knuckled tactics in pursuit of growth
Uber and Lyft drivers are striking ahead of Uber’s IPO
With Uber expected to make its debut on the public market by Friday, May 10, on-demand ride-hailing drivers are planning to strike on Wednesday. The New York Taxi Workers Association is calling on U.S.-based drivers to stand in solidarity with drivers in London and log off from both Uber and Lyft on May 8 between… Continue reading Uber and Lyft drivers are striking ahead of Uber’s IPO
Lyft Says It’s ‘Not in the Transportation Business,’ So Disability Law Doesn’t Apply – Gizmodo
Photo: Mario Tama (Getty) We’re in the season of multi-billion-dollar rideshare IPOs where the spotlight is on global and unprofitable transportation companies like Lyft and Uber as they try to get into the black. Let’s check in with how the process is unfolding. Excuse me, I’m sorry, my notes here say that actually, Lyft is… Continue reading Lyft Says It’s ‘Not in the Transportation Business,’ So Disability Law Doesn’t Apply – Gizmodo
Liam O’Connor, hired to help build Lyft’s bike and scooter business, has left after 7 months
The emerging business of offering bikes and scooters on demand has not always been very smooth, and today comes one of the latest bumps: TechCrunch has learned and confirmed that Liam O’Connor, an executive hired to help transportation company Lyft build its bike and scooter operations, has left after seven months with the newly-public company.… Continue reading Liam O’Connor, hired to help build Lyft’s bike and scooter business, has left after 7 months
UPDATE 3-U.S. rejects Tesla bid for tariff exemption for Model 3 ‘brain’
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. trade officials rejected Tesla Inc’s bid for relief from President Donald Trump’s 25 percent tariffs on the Chinese-made computer “brain” of its Model 3 electric vehicles, one of more than 1,000 product denials linked to China’s industrial development plans. FILE PHOTO: A 2018 Tesla Model 3 electric vehicle is shown in… Continue reading UPDATE 3-U.S. rejects Tesla bid for tariff exemption for Model 3 ‘brain’
U.S. rejects Tesla bid for tariff exemption for Model 3 ‘brain’
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. trade officials rejected Tesla Inc’s bid for relief from President Donald Trump’s 25 percent tariffs on the Chinese-made computer “brain” of its Model 3 electric vehicles, one of more than 1,000 product denials linked to China’s industrial development plans. FILE PHOTO: A 2018 Tesla Model 3 electric vehicle is shown in… Continue reading U.S. rejects Tesla bid for tariff exemption for Model 3 ‘brain’