Bird has acquired San Francisco-based e-scooter sharing service Scoot. Founded in 2011, San Francisco-based Scoot has raised about $47 million to date, with its last round valuing it at $71 million. LINK
Apple is reportedly looking to acquire autonomous vehicle startup, Drive.ai. Drive.ai, a self-driving shuttle service, has raised $77 million and was valued at $200 million two years ago. LINK
- FLASHBACK: The City of Frisco Texas opted not to renew its contract with Self-driving car startup Drive.ai. Nearly 5,000 unique riders used the service during the pilot program. The Mayor said the city could not justify the service’s high cost. LINK
Uber is making a fintech push with a New York hiring spree. The goal is to create products that increase loyalty and engagement among users and drivers, including a possible bank account, the sources say. LINK
- FLASHBACK: Uber partners with Barclaycard and introduces the Uber Visa Card. LINK
- FLASHBACK: Ola partners with SBI (State Bank of India) and introduces the Ola Visa Card. LINK
Elon Musk mulls mining venture for Tesla to produce electric car batteries. LINK
Bolt, an Estonian firm previously known as Hopp and previously-previously known as Taxify, has launched in London with promised to pay drivers more and charge riders less than Uber. LINK
- FLASHBACK: Daimler to buy 10% of the Estonian startup, Taxify, for over €100 million – making the market capitalisation of the startup over €1 billion. LINK
- FLASHBACK: Daimler‘s ride-share co will pay Mexico City drivers 30,000 pesos (US $1,500) a week to drive for its service. The daily minimum wage in Mexico is 102.68 pesos (US $5.10). LINK
Walmart to deliver groceries right into home refrigerators. LINK
Chinese electronics company Xiaomi is recalling more than 10,000 electric scooters due to safety concerns. They warn a loose screw in the scooters’ folding mechanism means the handles could break off while being used. LINK
- FLASHBACK: The Chinese Xiaomi M365 contains a flaw that could allow a hacker to take full remote control over the vehicle, including causing the scooter to suddenly accelerate or brake. The firm blames the scooter’s password authentication process, which is done via Bluetooth communications. LINK
Skip scooters pulled from San Francisco streets after one catches fire in Washington D.C. LINK
- FLASHBACK: Lime is pulling some electric scooters from the streets over fears that some batteries could catch fire. LINK
UPDATE: The fence comes down and the car is towed away, but only after Car2Go paid the property owners a portion of his ransom. LINK
- FLASHBACK: Seattle property owner builds a fence around car2go vehicle for illegally parking on his property. He’s demanding car2go pay $65 per day, $300 to build the fence and $500 for harassment. At first, the property owner tried to tow the car but 3 tow companies refused because he didn’t have a private property sign. LINK
VIDEO: Bitcoin ATM spews out £20 notes in London Tube Station. A security guard is seen shielding the machine to stop anybody doing a runner with the money. Onlookers watch in total shock as cash spill down into and around a duffel bag at the foot of the machine. LINK
- FLASHBACK: Vancouver mayor suggests ban on bitcoin ATMs due to money laundering issues. LINK
