Latest news with #rideshare
Bloomberg
12 hours ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Lyft Completes Freenow Acquisition, Isn't Planning to Cut Staff
Lyft Inc. has gained the necessary regulatory clearance to complete its acquisition of European taxi app Freenow, setting the stage for the US rideshare company to expand its operations into Europe. Both companies will point users to download each other's apps starting Thursday: Lyft riders will see a prompt to get the Freenow app when they are in the 180 European cities where Freenow operates, while Freenow customers will be prompted to install Lyft when they're in the US or Canada. Over time, users won't need to switch apps when travelling as the companies plan to make their drivers available on both platforms.
CBS News
20 hours ago
- CBS News
With Lollapalooza starting, warnings issued about fake rideshare drivers, other safety concerns
Lollapalooza kicks off on Thursday, and city officials have issued some safety warnings — urging festivalgoers in particular to be aware of rideshare impersonators. Just this week, Chicago police put out an alert about two women sexually assaulted by a man they said posed as a driver. Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd) said the Chicago Police Department is ramping up its presence in the rideshare pickup and drop-off areas for Lollapalooza along Monroe Drive. Hopkins said with road closures around Grant Parka and construction in areas, people should use the 'L' or Metra. But if people must take a rideshare, they need to be careful. "Don't rely on someone rolling down the window, yelling to you, 'Hey, I'm your Uber!'" said Hopkins. "Chances are that's not a legitimate ride." Lollapalooza 2025: Schedule, festival map, Chicago road closures, bag policy The Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications said anyone using a service like Uber or Lyft must have the rideshare drop them off or pick them up within a rectangle bounded by DuSable Lake Shore Drive on the east, State Street on the west, Wacker Drive on the north, and 14th Street on the south. Ald. Hopkins said most rideshares will be routed to Monroe Drive. But new this year, no one can get dropped off or picked up on DuSable Lake Shore Drive, or they will risk getting a ticket. "The app will tell the driver where they can pick up their passenger," Hopkins said. "It'll guide their passengers to that location, and we can adjust it if necessary." Hopkins said the CPD has been instructed to look for fake rideshare drivers, keeping an eye out for signs like counterfeit placards on windshield, and erratic driving. Meanwhile, area hospitals such as Rush University Medical Center are also ready. "We do prepare for sort of a surge in young patients," said Dr. Antonia Nemanich of Rush. Nemanich said Rush could see anywhere from 10 to 20 more patients a day on top of their already-busy emergency room volume. The hospital will treat both alcohol and drug overdoses. "Always have a lot of suspicion for any drug that isn't coming from a dispensary or from a reputable source, because all bets are off," Nemanich said. "You might, you know, think it's ketamine, MDMA, and it could be laced with fentanyl or something else." Overall, city officials said they want people to have good time. But how they spend that time, and how they get to and from the festival safely, is most important. "We know that stakes are higher," Hopkins said. "We are determined to keep everyone safe." Police earlier this week issued a community alert about the fake rideshare driver. They said he struck around 5 a.m. back on Sunday, March 30, in the 1100 block of North Lake Shore Drive in the Gold Coast, and again around 2:30 a.m. on Tuesday, July 19, in the 1500 block of North Wells Street in Old Town. Police said the fake rideshare driver picked up female victims in a midsize black SUV, and later sexually assaulted them. The vehicle was not the one ordered by the victims via a ride-sharing app. Hopkins said Chicago police have strong leads in the case, and an update should be coming soon.
CBS News
3 days ago
- CBS News
Man posing as rideshare driver sought in 2 sexual assaults on Near North Side
Chicago police issued an alert to rideshare passengers about two sexual assaults by a man they said posed as a rideshare driver. Both incidents happened on the Gold Coast and the Near North Side. The first happened around 5 a.m. on March 30 in the 1100 block of North DuSable Lake Shore Drive, and the second happened around 2:30 a.m. on July 19 in the 1500 block of North Wells Street. Police said the fake rideshare driver picked up female victims in a midsize black SUV, and later sexually assaulted them. The vehicle was not the one ordered by the victims via a ride-sharing app. Police did not give a detailed description of the suspect. Rideshare passengers are advised to verify that the picture and license plate from the rideshare app match the vehicle and driver, share their rideshare information and/or location with family or friends, and stay in communication with them while in a rideshare. Anyone with information is asked to contact Area 3 detectives at 312-744-8261 or submit an anonymous tip at using reference numbers JJ200277or JJ340067.
CNN
3 days ago
- Business
- CNN
Driving Angola's digital economy
From rideshare to digitizing food delivery, Angola's budding start-up ecosystem is driving a digital revolution across the country and providing new services for a growing middle class.
Motor Trend
6 days ago
- Automotive
- Motor Trend
Lyft Enters Robotaxi Wars, Linking Up with Holon to Take on Uber, Waymo, and Tesla
The robotaxi wars are upon us. Not long after Uber and Lucid announced a partnership linking the rideshare and EV brands, Lyft has announced it will expand its own autonomous shuttle service working with Holon and its Urban shuttle through Benteler Mobility. It's all a part of Lyft's 'human-centered' strategy to create a hybrid rideshare network. Lyft partners with Holon and Benteler Group to expand its autonomous shuttle service, challenging Uber, Waymo, and Tesla. The fleet, featuring Holon's Urban shuttles, will deploy by 2026, overcoming tariff and regulatory challenges. Existing partnerships aid Lyft's robotaxi strategy. This summary was generated by AI using content from this MotorTrend article. Read Next Lyft is best known as the rideshare alternative to Uber and the pink mustaches its rideshare drivers attached to their vehicles years ago. (Now it's gone a bit boring with a light-up display that simply says 'Lyft.') While its fleet has relied on human drivers and regular vehicles since its start in 2012, Lyft has had plans for an autonomous fleet since December 2020, not long after the brand went public in 2019. Lyft had partnerships with several brands—including GM, Ford, and Magna International—but it sold this autonomous vehicle development to Toyota in April 2021 under the Woven Planet Holdings subsidiary (now known as Woven by Toyota). Since then, Lyft had remained a human-only rideshare brand until this partnership announcement with Holon and Benteler. Don't feel lost if you've never heard of Benteler Group or the Holon Urban autonomous shuttle. Holon was once an internal part of Benteler Group until 2022 when it was spun off as its own autonomous mover brand and began building the Urban, an autonomous shuttle that was designed by Pininfarina. While primarily focused on Germany, Holon has a U.S. presence with a regional headquarters in Auburn Hills, Michigan and a manufacturing facility under construction in Jacksonville, Florida that is scheduled to come online by 2026. Benteler Group is also split off into multiple brands that include automotive components, automotive modules including engines and chassis, and steel tube manufacturing among other businesses functions. It's been a silent partner for many automotive brands throughout its 150-year history. The two most pertinent parts of Benteler to today's announcement with Lyft are Benteler Mobility and Benteler Trading International with the latter offering fleet financing to pay for the purchasing, upkeep, and repairs of the Holon Urban shuttles that will be deployed. Benteler Mobility will offer its turnkey implementation of autonomous services for the Lyft fleet. While the partnership plans state the fleet will be deployed by 2026, there will be challenges it will need to get through. First, of course, are the upcoming tariff issues for anything manufactured outside the U.S. While this will be a temporary problem as Holon waits for the Jacksonville plant to open, it will be a significant one as it will add to the cost of the fleet. The second major issue is compliance with local communities and states to operate as a robotaxi service. Lyft is a bit more ahead of this game than most robotaxi startups thanks to its existing collaboration with May Mobility in Atlanta, Georgia, that's set to come online this year. It also has existing partnerships with Mobileye, Nexar, and Marubeni Corporation in autonomous fleet deployment and management since 2024.
