Bird Scooters ditches gig economy mechanics in favor of in-house mechanics to fix its vehicles. LINK
- FLASHBACK: Spin Scooter is ditching gig workers for employees to collect, charge, fix, and redeploy its vehicles. LINK
“Charging as a Service” startup ChargeWheel announced $1 million in seed funding for its solar-powered, on-demand mobile charging trailer for bike and scooter fleets and personal electric vehicles (EVs). LINK
Lyft Driver Services
- In an effort to retain its contractor labor force, as well as expand its core business, Lyft has opened its first auto repair shop in San Francisco. Lyft is promising drivers up to 50% on common repairs. Today a wash, oil change, and tire rotation will run $70. 34 more locations are planned. LINK
- The day after Lyft & Uber drivers strike for higher pay in California, Lyft introduces a branded debit card that offers cash back incentives of 4% on restaurants, 2% on gas and 1% on groceries. Lyft drivers will also have the opportunity to access earnings through an online bank account with no monthly fees or minimum balance. LINK
TIL: According to Lyft, 91% of their driver work less than 20 hours a week. LINK
Alibaba & Tencent are teaming up with China’s biggest automakers to create a ride-hailing venture, in a potential challenge to Didi Chuxing. The new firm is raising about $1.45 billion from the investors.
- H/T Alexis Hue who commented, “China’s massive push towards ‘smart mobility ecosystem'” in our Slack Group
VIDEO: Waymo teaches California cops how to handle self-driving cars. Lessons included how to disable the self-driving mode and where to cut the car in a situation where a passenger might need to be rescued. LINK
- FLASHBACK: How does the police pull over a sleeping driver in a self-driving car going 70? Pull in front to slow it down and activate the driver-assist program. LINK
Uber has agreed to purchase Careem, a Middle Eastern ride-hailing, delivery, and payments firm, for $3.1 billion. This shows a pivot in international strategy. Careem appeared to be Uber’s best (and likely only) chance to acquire a dominant player in a developing market. LINK
- FLASHBACK: Careem launches bus-booking service in Egypt. 12 hours later, Uber launches bus-booking service in Egypt. LINK
- FLASHBACK: Spain’s Cabify ‘categorically denies’ that it is in negotiations for a full or partial sale to Lyft LINK
Smart looks to be on the chopping block at Daimler… again. According to “a company insider,” Daimler’s new CEO, Ola Kallenius, who succeeds Dieter Zetsche in May, has “no history with Smart” and “no scruples about killing the brand if necessary.” Research agency Evercore ISI estimates that Smart currently loses $565 million to $792 million annually. LINK
- H/T Mrs. Barba via our kitchen table.
New cars sold in the EU and built after May 2022 will have to include a built-in breathalyzer and speed limiters and lane-keeping assistance and advanced emergency braking and built-in data recorder and drowsiness monitoring and distraction monitoring and cameras for reversing … just to name a few. LINK
STUDY: Booze is the main reason people choose ride-hailing. Purple drank nor hippie lettuce were not an option on the questionnaire LINK
If you can do 20 squats within 40 seconds insurance co Prudential will give you a free ticket to ride the Singapore subway. LINK
Meanwhile in Nueva York … Subway exec bought $60,000 worth of iPhones with MTA funds that he later sold on the Russian black market. LINK
- FLASHBACK: 2,500 NYC Subway employees make over $300,000 a year. LINK
The loving Husband & grieving Daughter of Elaine Herzberg, the homeless woman killed by an Uber Self Driving car are now asking the State of Arizona for $10 million to settle their lawsuit. At the time of her death, she was working with a local organization, not her family, to secure a roommate and an apartment. LINK
- FLASHBACK: The heartbroken Husband & devoted Daughter of Elaine Herzberg, the Homeless woman killed by an Uber Self Driver car are now asking the City of Tempe for $10 million to settle their lawsuit. LINK
- FLASHBACK: The caring Husband & anguished Daughter of Elaine Herzberg, the homeless woman killed by an Uber Self Driving car settles with Uber LINK
