Beijing-based stationless bike-sharing startup Ofo is crying foul at the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency over its decision to have an exclusive pilot program with startup JUMP. Earlier this month, JUMP obtained an exclusive permit with the SFMTA to launch 250 dockless, electric bikes in San Francisco.
Now, Ofo is asking the SFMTA to consider reopening the permit process and… Read More
Category: Collaborative Consumption
Google is investing in Indonesia-based Uber rival Go-Jek
Google is backing investing in ride-hailing companies. The U.S. search firm and China’s Meituan-Dianping are among the tech giants set to invest in Go-Jek, the Indonesia-based rival to Grab and Uber, a source with knowledge of discussions told TechCrunch. We understand a deal could be completed as soon as next week, though whether Go-Jek announces it is unclear since it has history of… Read More
Didi has a brilliant plan to contain the threat of China’s bike-sharing services
China’s Didi Chuxing unveiled its bike-sharing platform today and, as expected, it looks like a very aggressive move to protect its position. When Didi first announced its plans to offer rides from Ofo and Bluegogo inside its app, I argued that this was far from a positive gesture since the ultimate goal is control. By introducing its own service inside its own app to its own… Read More
Didi has a brilliant plan to contain the threat of China’s bike-sharing services
China’s Didi Chuxing unveiled its bike-sharing platform today and, as expected, it looks like a very aggressive move to protect its position. When Didi first announced its plans to offer rides from Ofo and Bluegogo inside its app, I argued that this was far from a positive gesture since the ultimate goal is control. By introducing its own service inside its own app to its own… Read More
Uber rival Grab acquires Indian startup to bulk up its mobile payment platform
Grab, Uber’s main rival in Southeast Asia, is continuing to develop its mobile payment strategy after it announced the acquisition of India-based startup iKaaz. The deal — which is undisclosed — will see iKaaz’s engineering team join the Bangalore-based engineering office which Grab opened last year. The firm declined to say how many new recruits are moving over… Read More
Instacart acquires Toronto-based Unata
Instacart has today announced the acquisition of Unata, a Toronto-based company that offers a platform for both grocers and consumers to interact digitally. The terms of the deal were not disclosed. Unata’s product, unlike Instacart’s, is a white-label grocery platform, letting grocers anywhere create apps and websites for consumers to order products, complete with coupons,… Read More
Grab, Uber’s rival in Southeast Asia, pulls in strategic investment from Hyundai
Grab, Uber’s closest rival in Southeast Asia, continues to slowly release information about its newest funding round after it revealed it has netted a strategic investment from Hyundai. To recap, the Singapore-based firm raised a massive $2 billion led by SoftBank and China’s Didi Chuxing last July with plans to extend the round by a further $500 million. Back in August, it… Read More
Amsterdam to halve Airbnb-style tourist rentals to 30 nights a year per host
City councillors in Amsterdam have decided to reduce by half the number of nights Airbnb hosts can rent out their apartments in the city — imposing a cap of 30 nights per year, down from the current 60 nights per years. The new limit will go into force in 2019. Read More
August Access, an in-home delivery service first tested with Walmart, opens to all retailers
August Home, the smart lock startup that was acquired by lock giant Assa Abloy in October last year, is stepping up its delivery game. At CES today, the company announced a service it’s calling August Access, where retailers can work with August and its partner Deliv to open your front door and bring packages directly into your home when you are not there, if you use a smart lock from… Read More
LimeBike unveils pedal assist e-bikes
On the heels of Motivate’s announcement that it’s launching an e-bike pilot program in San Francisco, startup LimeBike is essentially doing the same, but sooner. At CES, LimeBike unveiled its new electric pedal assist bikes, which use electric power to give your pedaling a boost and make riding up hills a breeze. While Motivate is rolling out its e-bikes for the Ford GoBikes system… Read More
LimeBike unveils pedal assist e-bikes
On the heels of Motivate’s announcement that it’s launching an e-bike pilot program in San Francisco, startup LimeBike is essentially doing the same, but sooner. At CES, LimeBike unveiled its new electric pedal assist bikes, which use electric power to give your pedaling a boost and make riding up hills a breeze. While Motivate is rolling out its e-bikes for the Ford GoBikes system… Read More
Ford GoBikes are going electric in San Francisco
Motivate, the company behind the San Francisco area’s bike-share system, is adding pedal-assist e-bikes to its fleets this April. The one-year pilot will launch with 250 e-bikes in SF, the company announced today. The bikes, created by startup GenZe, are designed to assist riders as they’re pedaling, therefore reducing the need for much energy while biking — especially uphill. Read More