Other stuff: Green light 🚦 for congestion pricing, Uber flights, Airbnb's "physical social network"
Your subscriber-only 🔒 reading list on the gig economy, micromobility, urban policy, and other fun stuff
This week’s Other Stuff links brought to you by the local London hero who used a watering can to extinguish an e-bike fire in Hackney.
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Ride-hail & cars
Uber launches flight booking tool in the UK, in trial of travel “super-app” ambitions. Uber rival Bolt seeks to turn profitable next year, IPO in 2025. Uber shareholders reject two proposals to improve and audit driver safety. Former ride-hail drivers settle unemployment benefits dispute with New York state. Waymo doubles robotaxi service area in Phoenix, with hopes of growing trips tenfold. GM's Cruise bringing autonomous vehicles to Houston. Self-Driving Cars Are Being Put on a Data Diet.
Micromobility
“It was a true miracle that it did launch”: an oral history of 10 years of Citi Bike. Battery-swapping startup Swobbee raises €2 million. Human Forest raises £12 million to double size of London rental e-bike fleet. Japanese e-scooter startup Luup raises 4.5 billion yen ($33.5 million) for docked micromobility. Berlin-based scooter startup Tier Mobility exploring sale or merger amid mounting losses. Brussels looking to slash e-scooter numbers by 60%. E-bike startup Zoomo cuts 8% of staff in second round of layoffs. Calgary city council wants Alberta government to regulate personal e-scooters. BBC bike bureau. London residents plagued by abandoned e-bikes. Westminster plans to fine cyclists who fail to park rental e-bikes correctly. Man used watering can to put out Lime e-bike fire in London’s Hackney.
Delivery
Amsterdam bans fast-delivery grocery hubs from residential areas. Some DoorDash workers are asking customers to leave bigger tips before completing their deliveries. UK rapid grocery firms plan to put riders back on zero-hour contracts. Manhattan neighborhoods that place most deliveries also least interested in helping out delivery workers. Restaurants left on their own after SF nixed delivery fee cap. Uber-owned online grocer Cornershop cuts 11% of staff. London-based Delivery Mates acquires rival XeroE to expand sustainable logistics operation. Autonomous delivery robots startup Nuro to lay off 30% of workforce. Why Amazon isn’t checking out of groceries. The Hurb Is the Pop-Up Package Hub We’re Stuck With (For Now).
Policy and urban adventures
Biden administration green lights first U.S. congestion pricing plan in New York. MTA offers toll tweaks, promises new discounts for congestion pricing. L.A. study recommends taking the cops out of traffic stops. Lisbon bans cars from driving through city center. Barcelona bets on green to boost city’s mental health. Germany launches €49 monthly ticket for nationwide public transport. The Hague to trial €50 street parking charge in centre and Scheveningen. Antwerp to restrict street parking to residents and permit-holders from August. How Copenhagen is playfully reinventing public spaces. Los Angeles may replace peak-hour travel lanes with bus and cycle lanes. UK ministers urged to speed up rules legalizing e-scooters. Seoul launches country’s first-ever subway app for foreigners. Quebec proposes stricter home-sharing rules that would put onus on companies like Airbnb. Boston weighs ban of tiny booze bottles.
Other other stuff
How Public Transit Became the Last Safety Net In America. Once an Evangelist for Airbnbs, She Now Crusades for Affordable Housing. Study led by University of Bristol finds most gig workers earn below minimum wage, experience job insecurity and anxiety. The Contradictions of Sam Altman, AI Crusader. Brian Chesky wants Airbnb to be a “physical social network.” Evan Gershkovich’s Arrest Marks a New Era of Hostage Diplomacy. These Tech Workers Say They Were Hired to Do Nothing. NLRB cracks down on Starbucks for illegal union-busting tactics. ‘Where to Meet People’ Internet Searches Spike Amid Loneliness Epidemic.