Uber rival Didi makes Mexico launch official, recruits drivers

MEXICO CITY/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Chinese ride-hailing company Didi Chuxing has publicly launched in Mexico with a website advertising its service to drivers and passengers and setting the stage for a potentially expensive showdown with rival Uber. FILE PHOTO: The logo of Didi Chuxing is seen at its headquarters in Beijing, China, May 18, 2016.… Continue reading Uber rival Didi makes Mexico launch official, recruits drivers

UberX to be parked in Greece after law change

Uber is suspending another international service while it assess whether there’s a business case to continue operations after regulatory changes. In a blog post announcing the impending suspension of its UberX service in Athens, the company writes: “New local regulations were voted on recently with provisions that impact ridesharing services. We have to assess if… Continue reading UberX to be parked in Greece after law change

Alibaba is preparing to invest in Grab

Fresh from announcing a deal to buy out Uber in Southeast Asia, Grab looks set to gain further firepower with Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba preparing to invest in the ride-hailing firm. Alibaba is in the early stages of making an investment in Grab, two sources with knowledge of discussions told TechCrunch. Isn’t yet clear what… Continue reading Alibaba is preparing to invest in Grab

BMW Subscription Pilot Puts You in a Top Tier Car for $3,700 a Month

BMW AG’s new U.S. subscription pilot will put drivers into the brand’s top performance cars for as much as $3,700 a month as the German automaker tests a new ownership model with its most exclusive customers. The app-based service — which begins in Nashville, Tennessee, this week — provides members with unlimited access to a… Continue reading BMW Subscription Pilot Puts You in a Top Tier Car for $3,700 a Month

Mercedes’ ridesharing ViaVan service comes to London

Daimler Add another company to the list of transportation services filling Uber’s London-sized void. Mercedes-Benz and Via have launched their jointly owned ViaVan service in Zones 1 and 2 of the city, giving Londoners a “ride-pooling” option that bridges the gap between plain ridesharing and mass transit. The allure, as you might guess, stems from… Continue reading Mercedes’ ridesharing ViaVan service comes to London

JUMP Bikes weighing Uber $100m+ acquisition, investment offers

JUMP Bikes, the on-demand biking service that integrates with Uber, has been weighing both acquisition and investment offers. A decision has not yet been reached, but right now possible options include a sale to Uber at a price that exceeds $100 million, or a venture investment round, multiple sources tell TechCrunch. One of the possible… Continue reading JUMP Bikes weighing Uber $100m+ acquisition, investment offers

What is next in the world of ride-hailing?

What is next in the world of ride-hailing? Welcome to our weekly news highlights, the place where you‘ll find the most important information in the urban mobility space. Follow us to keep updated, we post every Tuesday! Here is what happened last week: Follow up story: Uber sells its Southeast Asian operations to Grab With a 27.5%… Continue reading What is next in the world of ride-hailing?

GM partner's self-driving car gets a ticket from San Francisco cop

CLOSE Ford Motor Co. is making Miami-Dade County its new test bed for self-driving vehicles. Ford Cruise Automation self-driving test vehicle navigates the urban streets of San Francisco, CA. (Photo: Karl Nielsen for Cruise Automation) It sounds like the setup for a joke: A self-driving car got a ticket last week in San Francisco, KPIX-TV… Continue reading GM partner's self-driving car gets a ticket from San Francisco cop

Grab boss: ‘Zero issues’ with Uber deal in South East Asia

The chief executive of ride-sharing firm Grab says he is confident regulators will not derail his plan to buy Uber’s South East Asian operations. Anthony Tan told the BBC he saw “zero issues” on how the deal was done. South East Asia’s most popular ride-hailing firm said last week it would buy its rival’s regional… Continue reading Grab boss: ‘Zero issues’ with Uber deal in South East Asia

Uber’s India rival Ola could add public transport services following latest acquisition

The rumors are true, India’s Uber rival/potential-future-M&A-buddy Ola has acquired transportation startup Ridlr in an undisclosed deal. Mint reported the imminent transaction last week, describing it as a fire sale, and today Ola confirmed the deal. The terms are undisclosed so you can make of that what you will. Founded in 2010, Ridlr operates as a… Continue reading Uber’s India rival Ola could add public transport services following latest acquisition