LOYALTY
In their mission to become the “Amazon of transportation” Uber launches “Uber Prime” in Chicago and San Francisco. For $25 a month, customers get free rides on Uber’s Jump bikes and scooters. They also get free delivery on Uber Eats, as well as price protection or a fixed discount on every ride-hail trip. LINK
- FLASHBACK: Americans who used both Uber and Lyft accounted for almost 34% (and rising) of the companies’ ride-sharing revenue. Consumers are becoming less brand loyal and choosing the service that is faster and/or cheaper. LINK
- FLASHBACK: McDonald’s joins forces with DoorDash, ending its exclusive deal with Uber Eats. LINK
RETENTION
Lyft has begun rolling out NYC subway and bus directions to its app to keep users in the app. The company doesn’t yet have a formal partnership with the city of New York. Riders will still need to swipe their MetroCard to access the subway. LINK
- FLASHBACK: Uber transit ticketing is averaging a 42% weekly growth rate in Denver. Uber has also seen an 11.6% increase in the number of Uber trips that start or end at a transit station since partnering with Denver public transit. LINK
For a limited time, Southwest is offering free mileage points when you let a stranger rent your car through the app Turo. The program offers 10,000 Rapid Rewards points for signing up as a host, 2,000 points for your first Turo car booking and 500 for every trip after. For reference a one-way Southwest flight to San Diego from San Francisco this weekend starts at about 9,000 Rapid Rewards points. The Turo offers end on Oct. 15 LINK
Toyota unveils electric shuttles for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. A fleet of 200 APMs (Accessible People Mover) will be used to transport people to different competitions and the Olympic Village. LINK
- FLASHBACK: Hundreds of thousands of employees in Tokyo will stay home for two weeks. This is part of a mass trial to reduce congestion on the public transport system for next year’s Olympics. LINK
Dash camera captures a Lime scooter rider doing 15 in a 70 mph zone on I-35 in downtown Dallas during rush hour. When asked, Lime reiterated that scooters are not permitted on interstates. LINK
Transport app FlixMobility has raised around 500 million euros ($561 million) in Germany’s biggest tech funding round to date. The company is already profitable in half of the markets where it operates. FlixMobility is planning to launch operations in Latin America and Asia. They also plan to build a car-pooling service to compete with France’s Blablacar. LINK
- FLASHBACK: French car-sharing co. BlaBlaCar launches BlaBlaBus in the Netherlands to compete with Flixbus. LINK
Skoda Parent Taxi app lets you charge your kids with chores for driving them places. By tracking car movements by GPS and charging children with cleaning the car, feeding the family pet, tidying their bedroom, and doing the washing up as opposed to a monetary fee. LINK
BMW designed a hexagon steering wheel for their future electric vehicles to help drivers immediately understand the steering angle of the moving car if they suddenly have to take control. The flat bottom allows for a more relaxed seating position for the legs when the pedals aren’t in use. LINK
TD Ameritrade has integrated with in-vehicle software platforms Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and Amazon’s Echo Auto to give customers the ability to check their stock portfolio or get the latest financial news while sitting behind the wheel. LINK
Senior Transport Service Onward raises $1.5 million in seed funding that will enable it to help seniors get to their destinations safely. Riders pay $35 per hour, with the minimum charge for the trip at one hour. After that first hour, Onward starts to charge by the minute. Passengers also have the ability to request a favorite driver. LINK
