Latest news with #UberTechnologiesInc.
Time of India
9 hours ago
- Automotive
- Time of India
Uber and Wayve to begin UK road trials for autonomous vehicles
Uber Technologies Inc. has partnered with London-based AI startup Wayve to launch public road trials for autonomous vehicles in the UK. The focus will be on developing Level 4 driverless cars—vehicles capable of full self-driving within defined areas, with human intervention possible only in emergencies. The UK, and especially cities like London, will become the largest market where Uber is piloting autonomous vehicles. The companies noted that UK roads present unique challenges due to their layout, signage, and traffic laws—different from US cities where most Level 4 trials have occurred so far. Leveraging AI and Global Reach These trials will combine Wayve's Embodied AI platform with Uber's global ride-hailing network. The real-world testing aims to accelerate the safe deployment of autonomous technology in other urban centres globally. Wayve and Uber began their multi-year collaboration in 2024, with a vision to scale operations across Europe following successful UK trials. The partnership builds on Wayve's strong investor backing from SoftBank , Nvidia, and Eclipse Ventures. With rivals like Alphabet's Waymo operating in San Francisco and Tesla developing its own robotaxi, the Uber-Wayve collaboration marks a significant move in the global race toward autonomous mobility.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Uber targets commuters with cheaper pooled rides, price-lock pass
Uber Technologies Inc. is introducing a cheaper pooled rides option and a price-lock pass for commuters, underscoring its focus on attracting more daily users as consumers confront rising costs. The San Francisco-based rideshare company on Wednesday announced 'Route Share,' a budget-focused offering that's up to 50% cheaper than a regular UberX and only available during weekday commuting hours. In contrast, its existing pooled rides option cuts costs as much as only 20%. But there's a catch: Route Share pickups run every 20 minutes only 'along busy corridors,' similar to a bus, and passengers may have to walk up to 15 minutes to the pick-up point and share a vehicle with two other people. Read more: California lawmakers to propose legislation giving ride-hailing drivers right to unionize It's launching Wednesday in New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas, Boston and Baltimore, with more cities to come, Uber said. The company hopes to work with employers to make the product eligible for pretax commuter benefits. Unlike its shuttle bus service between airports and downtown, Route Share rides will be in regular cars driven by independent contractors rather than shuttle operators. In addition, Uber said it will launch a pass for passengers to lock in fares on as many as 10 distinct routes, confirming an earlier Bloomberg News report. It will be available in 10 U.S. cities to start, including San Francisco, Washington and Miami, before gradually spreading to other U.S. markets and also Brazil. In the summer, Uber said, it will provide deeper discounts if users pre-pay for trips on a fixed route in increments of five through 20. For example, a prepaid pass for five rides on a fixed route will offer a 5% discount, and a prepayment on 20 will come with a 20% discount. Uber has been competing with smaller rival Lyft Inc. to offer different flavors of its rideshare product to win over customers with assorted needs and budgets. Commuters have emerged as key customers for their services, according to the companies. Commutes on Uber represent about 3 billion trips globally, or just under 30% of all its ride-hail and delivery trips in 2024. For Lyft, those rides made up more than a third of total trips in the first quarter. Meanwhile, investors have been watching how souring consumer sentiment might affect Uber's rideshare business in the U.S. after the company said travel spending has slowed more there than in international markets. A Gridwise survey report in February showed that a majority of customers would curb or cut out ride-hails if Uber and Lyft prices in the U.S. increased further beyond a 7.2% jump in 2024. Lyft discontinued pooled rides in 2023, but its monthly price-lock pass has proved popular with commuters since its launch last August. Price-lock subscriptions jumped 21% in the first quarter from the prior quarter, the company said when it reported quarterly earnings last week. For Uber, the more complex pooled ride scenario designed for commuters will one day 'make sense' for shared trips by autonomous vehicles, said Chief Product Officer Sachin Kansal in an interview. He said Uber plans to introduce pooled rides on Volkswagen's driverless ID Buzz electric vans when the service is commercially available in Los Angeles in 2026. Also on Wednesday, Uber announced a new 'Dine Out' restaurant reservation feature, powered by Booking Holdings Inc.'s OpenTable as part of an earlier-announced partnership. Uber One members will gain priority access to book reservations in certain markets, while OpenTable customers can get discounts on Uber rides for a limited time. Competition in that space is also set to grow with food delivery rival DoorDash Inc. planning to add similar functionality with its pending acquisition of hospitality tech company SevenRooms Inc. Lung reports for Bloomberg. Sign up for our Wide Shot newsletter to get the latest entertainment business news, analysis and insights. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Los Angeles Times
14-05-2025
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
Uber targets commuters with cheaper pooled rides, price-lock pass
Uber Technologies Inc. is introducing a cheaper pooled rides option and a price-lock pass for commuters, underscoring its focus on attracting more daily users as consumers confront rising costs. The San Francisco-based rideshare company on Wednesday announced 'Route Share,' a budget-focused offering that's up to 50% cheaper than a regular UberX and only available during weekday commuting hours. In contrast, its existing pooled rides option cuts costs as much as only 20%. But there's a catch: Route Share pickups run every 20 minutes only 'along busy corridors,' similar to a bus, and passengers may have to walk up to 15 minutes to the pick-up point and share a vehicle with two other people. It's launching Wednesday in New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas, Boston and Baltimore, with more cities to come, Uber said. The company hopes to work with employers to make the product eligible for pretax commuter benefits. Unlike its shuttle bus product between airports and downtown, Route Share rides will be serviced by regular cars driven by independent contractors rather than shuttle operators. In addition, Uber said it will launch a pass for passengers to lock in fares on as many as 10 distinct routes, confirming an earlier Bloomberg News report. It will be available in 10 US cities to start, including San Francisco, Washington and Miami, before gradually spreading to other US markets and also Brazil. In the summer, Uber said it will provide deeper discounts if users pre-pay for trips on a fixed route in increments of five through 20. For example, a prepaid pass for five rides on a fixed route will offer a 5% discount, and a prepayment on 20 will come with a 20% discount. Uber has been competing with smaller rival Lyft Inc. to offer different flavors of its rideshare product to win over customers with assorted needs and budgets. Commuters have emerged as key customers for their services, according to the companies. Commutes on Uber represent about 3 billion trips globally, or just under 30% of all its ride-hail and delivery trips in 2024. For Lyft, those rides made up more than a third of total trips in the first quarter. Meanwhile, investors have been watching how souring consumer sentiment might impact Uber's rideshare business in the US after the company said travel spending has slowed more there than in international markets. A Gridwise survey report in February showed that a majority of customers would curb or cut out ride-hails if Uber and Lyft prices in the US increased further beyond a 7.2% jump in 2024. Lyft discontinued pooled rides in 2023, but its monthly price-lock pass has proved popular with commuters since its launch last August. Price-lock subscriptions jumped 21% in the first quarter from the prior quarter, the company said when it reported quarterly earnings last week. For Uber, the more complex pooled ride scenario designed for commuters will one day 'make sense' for shared trips by autonomous vehicles, said Chief Product Officer Sachin Kansal in an interview. He said Uber plans to introduce pooled rides on Volkswagen's driverless ID Buzz electric vans when the service is commercially available in Los Angeles in 2026. Also on Wednesday, Uber announced a new 'Dine Out' restaurant reservation feature, powered by Booking Holdings Inc.'s OpenTable as part of an earlier-announced partnership. Uber One members will gain priority access to book reservations in certain markets, while OpenTable customers can get discounts on Uber rides for a limited time. Competition in that space is also set to grow with food delivery rival DoorDash Inc. planning to add similar functionality with its pending acquisition of hospitality tech company SevenRooms Inc. Lung reports for Bloomberg
Bloomberg
14-05-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Uber Targets Commuters With Cheaper Pooled Rides, Price-Lock Pass
Uber Technologies Inc. is introducing a cheaper pooled rides option and a price-lock pass for commuters, underscoring its focus on attracting more daily users as consumers confront rising costs. The rideshare company on Wednesday announced 'Route Share,' a budget-focused offering that's up to 50% cheaper than a regular UberX and only available during weekday commuting hours. In contrast, its existing pooled rides option cuts costs as much as only 20%. But there's a catch: Route Share pickups run every 20 minutes only 'along busy corridors,' similar to a bus, and passengers may have to walk up to 15 minutes to the pick-up point and share a vehicle with two other people.
Gulf News
30-04-2025
- Business
- Gulf News
Uber's Mideast unit Careem is delivering gold coins to doorsteps in Dubai
Dubai residents can now have 24-carat gold coins delivered their homes in less than an hour as super app Careem targets millions of Indians in the UAE. Dubai-based Careem Technologies, a spin-out from Uber Technologies Inc.'s Middle Eastern subsidiary, has launched a campaign that allows users to buy up to 10,000 dirhams ($2,723) of physical gold in a single order. The gold is supplied and certified by Tanishq, the flagship brand of India's biggest jeweler Titan Co. Rollout of the new feature coincides with Akshaya Tritiya, a Hindu festival in which buying gold is considered auspicious. Indians make up about a third of the UAE's population of over 10 million people, and the country continues to attract expats with the promise of jobs and low tax rates. The precious metal has rallied 25% this year as an expanding trade war has sent investors fleeing to safe haven assets. Gold rose to a record of $3,500 an ounce last week, after chalking up 27 successive all-time highs this year. These gains have been supported by central bank buying, ETF investors, and macro funds seeking a hedge against lagging US equities. Careem shareholders include majority stakeholder Emirates Telecommunications Group, which acquired 50.03% of the app for $400 million in 2023; Uber, which owns all of Careem's ride-hailing business, and Careem's co-founders. The so-called everything app offers food and grocery deliveries, car rentals and money transfers as well as laundry, home cleaning and donation services. The company didn't respond to a request for comment about adding gold delivery to this list.
