If you’re looking to learn more about how mobility companies are handling our global pandemic here is an exhaustive and up-to-date list of stories compiled by a friend of TWiM, Augustin Friedel. LINK
The fight to reduce COVID-19 related deaths is turning Uber into a gig platform for all work. “Companies like Uber are becoming “labor-sharing” rather than “ride-sharing” platforms.” LINK
- FLASHBACK: Uber is quietly hiring in Dallas for the launch of a temporary staffing service. LINK
Data from the U.S. Department of Energy shows an ‘Unprecedented’ drop in gasoline use. “Something like 25 to 30 percent decline, very unusual, in fact, historically unprecedented. It is fundamentally on-road transportation that’s gone down. Gasoline is used in a few other places but only in very small amounts. It’s primarily used to power on-road vehicles. LINK
Two insurers — Allstate and American Family Insurance — announced Monday they will give back about $800 million to their auto insurance customers because people are driving far less during the coronavirus crisis. Allstate said it will refund about 15% of premiums paid by its customers in April and May, which comes to a total of about $600 million. LINK
Q: What’s more American than unlimited breadsticks?
A: Drive-in non-denominational church. LINK
Flying on private jets is getting cheaper thanks to the U.S. government’s $2.2 trillion stimulus package. LINK
CORONA POSITIVE
- Survey: Drop-in pollution gets Brits interested in electric vehicles. Nearly half (45%) of respondents said they would consider an EV after seeing the impact coronavirus lockdowns have had on air quality. LINK
- Northern Italian bridge collapses but no one died. With virtually no traffic on the streets due to the lockdown, only two truck drivers suffered minor injuries LINK
Audi Australia launches a meditative ‘slow TV’ four-hour film for social media. Audi hopes the film will help people stuck indoors to get a sense of a trip out on the open road …. and sell a few cars. The soundtrack is relaxing. I wrote most of this newsletter listening to it. LINK
Faking our commute to work each morning is a psychologist-approved way to gain a semblance of control while our routines are out of whack. “Creating space between ‘home’ and ‘work’ is helpful in setting and keeping boundaries between the two, and creating a routine.” LINK
SOME GOOD NEWS … We’re being bombarded with death tolls, but there is a lot of kindness and hope out there. I’m closing each newsletter with some positive vibes.
- Goat-2-Meeting … a not-for-profit animal sanctuary in California is letting its animals join business meetings to help lift spirits, raise money and awareness about the evils of industrialized agriculture. LINK
- Anonymous donor sends $150 in gift cards to every household in 1,400-person town LINK
- With no tourists, Vienna’s horse-drawn carriages deliver meals LINK
