Japan is about to start trialling driverless cars under the guise of “Robot Taxis”, and hopes they’ll be on its roads by 2020 October 5, 2015 Robot taxis are about to be put to the test in Japan – and they could be introduced onto Tokyo's roads by 2020. Robot Taxi, a joint venture by mobile internet firm DeNA and driverless car technology company ZMP, has been given the green light to start tests in 2016, a spokesperson from ZMP [...]
Uber partners with CMU to open self-driving taxi lab in Pittsburgh, US February 3, 2015 Uber has partnered with Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) in the US to open a robotics lab for the development of driverless cars. Called the Uber Advanced Technologies Center, the purpose of the research centre is to develop long-term technologies that allow Uber to bring “safe, reliable transportation to everyone, everywhere,” according to the driver-on-demand service. [...]
Now Gett lets you order Veuve Clicquot champagne in London as it expands on-demand services July 27, 2015 Londoners will be able to order champagne and have a bottle delivered in just 10 minutes with a new service from taxi app Gett. The partnership with Veuve Clicquot will deliver champagne in the same way as ordering a taxi, as Gett explores a tranche of new product deliveries and on-demand services in a bid to [...]
Car industry revival turbo charged in US – GM, Fiat Chrysler, Ford, Toyota, and Nissan all pull in record sales for December and 2015 January 5, 2016 Oil prices at an 11 year low, an easy line of credit, pent up customer demand, and a rebound in the jobs market all contributed to a record breaking 2015 for the US car industry, crowned with one of the best December trading periods ever. The picture is looking similar in UK, with many of [...]
Uber protests in Paris: UberPop banned in France as taxi drivers stage mass demonstration December 15, 2014 France has said it will ban one of the services offered by controversial taxi app Uber from early next year, the same day as Paris' cabbies have staged a mass protest against the ride-sharing service. The French interior ministry announced that UberPop, a low-cost service which lets private drivers make money picking up passengers like [...]
Davos 2016: Why London fintech can transform the 21st century January 20, 2016 In recent years, there has been cynicism about the objectives of the World Economic Forum annual meeting at Davos, with reports of parties, private jets and closed-door discussions. However, the core purpose of the forum should not be dismissed in an era of global upheaval, tensions and economic uncertainty for billions across the developed and [...]
Microsoft Surface Pro 4: Tech giant unveils new smartphones, tablets and fitness tracker October 6, 2015 Microsoft today unveiled a range of new products heralding what has been described by the company as its “next chapter”. This included a new line of Lumia smartphones, a new surface pro tablet as well as an updated version of its fitness tracker, Microsoft Band, which will run on its latest operating system Windows 10. [...]
Addison Lee chief executive slams TfL over Uber’s rapid entry into London taxi market December 23, 2014 Addison Lee's chief executive Liam Griffin has slammed Transport for London (TfL) for allowing Uber such an easy entrance into the London transport market. Speaking to the Evening Standard, Griffin said TfL had "bottled" it and accused the regulator of "letting down" black cab drivers. He argued TfL was failing to enforce rules and regulations [...]
Uber raises $1.6bn from Goldman Sachs clients January 21, 2015 Uber has raised $1.6 billion in financing from the clients of Goldman Sachs’s private wealth arm, adding even more cash to its ever-expanding pile. This comes months after the popular taxi-app raised $1.2 billion from big institutions, and one investment valued the company at a weighty $41.2 billion, the Financial Times reported. The cash will be used [...]
As Apple’s iPhone 6S lands will mobile payments change the way we live? December 11, 2015 Today’s smartphones can do incredible things. Need a ride around London? Just tap the Uber app. Fresh flowers or food from a local restaurant delivered straight to your door? Try Bloom & Wild or Deliveroo. These apps are fantastic, but there's a new smartphone feature set to fundamentally revolutionise the high street and how [...]