Uber spinout Serve Robotics gets $13M seed round to expand sidewalk robot deliveries

Serve Robotics, the autonomous sidewalk delivery company that spun out from Uber-owned Postmates in March, has closed an expanded seed round at $13 million. The company will use the funds to accelerate its expansion plans into new customer segments and geographic areas, which will require them to build more sidewalk robots to fuel that growth. […]

Uber intros several safety features, including one that records audio during a ride

Uber is adding several new safety features to its app, including an audio reminder to riders to wear their seat belts, allowing riders or drivers to record audio during rides, and detection of unexpected route changes or stops before the final destination. The updates are designed to help both riders and drivers feel safer during […]

Uber to shutter most of its service in Belgium tomorrow after court ruling

Uber will halt its ride-hailing service in most of Belgium tomorrow following a court ruling Wednesday that extends a 2015 order banning its p2p UberPop service to also cover professional drivers providing its ride-hailing service. Uber told us that it is studying the detail of the ruling to decide whether to appeal the decision with […]

Tesla’s deal with Hertz opens a new frontier for the EV maker

Auto rental giant Hertz gave its strongest signal to the markets that it had resurrected from bankruptcy with this week’s news that it would purchase 100,000 Tesla vehicles for a reported $4.2 billion. Hertz made headlines again two days later, when it said that Uber committed to renting up to half of that order for […]

As EU eyes ‘balance’ on precarious gig work, Glovo offers pledge of ‘fairer’ conditions for couriers

Spain’s on-demand delivery platform Glovo has announced what it’s calling “The Couriers Pledge” — an initiative which commits its business to setting a new — “fairer” — social rights standard for its gigging couriers. The self-defined “standard” covers earnings, safety, communication and support for development opportunities.  Glovo says the commitments will (eventually) apply to couriers […]

TLcom and 4DX drive $13.1M seed round to scale Autochek’s platform across Africa

African automotive company Autochek has secured a $13.1 million seed round almost a year after raising $3.4 million pre-seed in November 2020. The company, led by CEO Etop Ikpe, has seen astonishing growth in demand since launching in August last year, not just from a consumer perspective but also from its business and banking partners. […]