Uber wins judicial review of English tests for drivers and other new rules September 1, 2016 Uber has succeeded in the first stage of its legal challenge against new rules on English language tests for drivers in London after the high court today approved a judicial review. The billion dollar startup argues the English exam, which it claims is tougher than the test for British citizenship, is discriminatory and contravenes the Equality Act. City A.M. exclusively revealed in August that [...]
Hailo to merge with MyTaxi to take on Uber July 25, 2016 Cab-hailing app Hailo is expected to announce a merger rival app MyTaxi tomorrow. The move is part of a strategic investment by Mercedes-Benz-owner Daimler – the owner of MyTaxi – it was first reported by Sky News. Hailo has been seeking further funding for some time, having had only enough cash to support itself for [...]
Apple’s driverless car project Titan has morphed into a staff shuttle bus as reports suggest a scaling back of ambitions August 23, 2017 Apple’s driverless car project, long-rumoured and only recently confirmed by boss Tim Cook, looks like it might be taking a back seat at the company. Its ambitions have been scaled back from a fully autonomous Apple car, to a shuttle bus for staff. Read more: “Hey Siri”: Now you can transfer money with just your [...]
On yer Mobike: Another cycle sharing scheme’s arrived in London after oBike, starting with Ealing July 31, 2017 It looks like Londoners will have more bike choices than ever before, as another cycle sharing scheme pulls up in the capital. Mobike, a Chinese startup unicorn (valued at more than a billion dollars, that is), will be available in Ealing from today, its first foray into the capital after a somewhat bumpy arrival in [...]
Uber’s Apple-backed rival Didi Chuxing just raised billions June 16, 2016 The taxi wars are hotting up. A day after reports of Uber raising a further $2bn (£1.4bn) to add to its already rather large cash pile, its rival in China has announced another $7bn in new funding that puts it squarely on the tail of the US startup when it comes to being the most well-funded private startup [...]
Uber’s “heartless” New York price surge actually shows the vital importance of market forces September 20, 2016 "How could they be so heartless?” declared a newspaper on Facebook. “Shame on you” screamed the paper’s headline. No, this was not about the despicable bomb attack in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighbourhood on Saturday. It was rather a public shaming for the ride-sharing app Uber after customers complained of increased prices following the explosion. With a [...]
Uber launches legal challenge over new London taxi rules August 16, 2016 Uber has launched legal action against London's transport regulator over new rules that threaten to limit its business in the capital, City A.M. can exclusively reveal. The billion-dollar startup is seeking a judicial review to halt the introduction of new rules it claims are too strict. Transport for London set out new regulations earlier this year after a [...]
Now you can book an Uber in advance as Scheduled Rides comes to London August 25, 2016 Uber is shaking up the way users can order a car, expanding upon the on-demand model which first made it a hit with a new feature for scheduling journeys ahead of time. People will now be able to book a car up to a month in advance of their journey, or just 15 minutes ahead. [...]
Uber reveals London ride-sharing figures for UberPool June 7, 2016 Uber's ride-sharing service UberPool has hit a milestone in London, with more than a million people making journeys via the service in the six months since launch. The billion dollar startup which recently landed billions more in funding from Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, claims more than 700,000 driving miles have been saved by UberPool in the capital since [...]
Data might be like oil, but reputation is still the real black gold October 24, 2017 For those firms harbouring inordinate reserves of our personal information, despite the endless profit-churning opportunities, an unblemished corporate reputation remains priceless. Today’s internet giants were founded on our personal data. Amazon, Facebook, Google. They don’t have high street stores. There’s next-to no human interaction. It’s all data. But today, data is a democracy. Businesses in [...]