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<ul class="summary-list"><li>Timberlake pleaded guilty to driving while impaired — a non-criminal traffic violation.</li><li>The judge initially felt the plea was 'surprisingly favorable' to Timberlake.</li></ul>Justin Timberlake took a plea deal in his DWI case — and warned others against driving while intoxicated.Timberlake pleaded guilty to driving while impaired, a non-criminal traffic violation, his lawyer Edward Burke Jr. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxUqHNi2zfo">said in a press conference</a> after court.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/13/entertainment/justin-timberlake-plea-hearing/index.html">CNN reports</a> the judge initially found the agreement to be "surprisingly favorable" to Timberlake. The judge ordered Timberlake to volunteer for 25 hours of community service, as well as to make a public safety announcement, CNN reported.Timberlake will also pay a $500 fine and have his license suspended in New York for 90 days, according to CNN.Timberlake acknowledged his platform as a celebrity and said he'd fallen short of the standards he sets for himself."Even if you've had one drink, don't get behind the wheel of a car," he told press gathered outside the courthouse. "There's so many alternatives. Call a friend. Take an Uber. There's many travel apps. You can still take a taxi.""This is a mistake that I made," he continued, "but I'm hoping that whoever's watching and listening right now can learn from this mistake."Timberlake also acknowledged the "strain" the incident had put on the small town of Sag Harbor in the Hamptons.Timberlake was <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/justin-timberlake-arrested-dwi-hamptons-2024-6">arrested on DWI charges</a> in June and pleaded not guilty at his last hearing in August. Speaking to the media outside court, Burke said his client had not been driving while intoxicated and had only "finished the contents of one drink in two hours."He also said Timberlake had been cooperative and respectful to law enforcement.

Justin Timberlake's post-guilty plea advice: 'Take an Uber'

<ul class="summary-list"><li>This post originally appeared in the Insider Today newsletter.</li></ul>Hello there! With summer unofficially in the books (I know we technically still have a few weeks), it's time to crown the song of the summer. Check out who nabbed the title, according to streaming stats and Billboard charts, along with <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-summer-songs-ever-2017-7">the other top summer songs since 1975</a>.In today's big story, robot taxis feel like the future of transportation. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/waymo-robot-taxis-weird-san-francisco-traffic-parking-cars-2024-9">Here's what it's like to ride in them</a>.What's on deck:<ul><li>Markets: Hedge funds' <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/august-hedge-fund-performance-walleye-citadel-millennium-2024-9">August report cards are in</a>.</li><li>Tech: Google cofounder Sergey Brin is facing another lawsuit <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/google-cofounder-sergey-brin-second-lawsuit-deadly-plane-crash-2024-8">tied to a deadly plane crash</a>.</li><li>Business: The biggest flex in customer service these days is <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/customer-service-phone-calls-paid-status-symbol-luxury-2024-9">getting someone on the phone</a>.</li></ul>But first, let's grab a cab.If this was forwarded to you, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/subscription/newsletter/insider-today">sign up here.</a><h3 id="7fa5f018-5b05-4a37-a8dc-d3f89138bcb3">The big story</h3><h2 id="5fd547b9-ec52-41fc-8e08-4f4b27dd8097">Along for the ride</h2><div type="image" title="A chauffeur made out of binary standing in front of a Waymo car" height="1500" width="2000" msid="113067399" hostid="261" sizebytes="165270"></div>Step aside, Jesus. Robots, take the wheel.The rise of robot taxis has people ceding control to the machines. Business Insider's Adam Rogers spent <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/waymo-robot-taxis-weird-san-francisco-traffic-parking-cars-2024-9">a few weeks riding around San Francisco in Waymo's robot taxis</a> to examine the potential future of transportation.The experience went from totally futuristic to incredibly normal, an example of how quickly we can adapt to things that initially seem straight out of a sci-fi movie.Don't get me wrong. There was still a bit of white-knuckling during Adam's first ride. "The steering wheel was turning of its own volition, as if I were being driven by a ghost. What I thought was, holy shit!" Adam wrote.But it wasn't long before Adam was comfortable and critiquing life in the driverless world.BI's Peter Kafka <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/waymo-self-driving-robotaxi-cars-without-drivers-amazing-tech-review-2024-4">had a similar takeaway</a> when riding in a Waymo: Initial trepidation and excitement quickly turned into acceptance and treating it like any other taxi ride.While Adam and Peter might have been early adopters, the rest of the country is mostly TBD. Waymos are only active in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Phoenix.<div type="image" title="A Waymo autonomous self-driving Jaguar electric vehicle sits parked at an EVgo charging station" height="4860" width="7290" msid="113067389" hostid="261" sizebytes="705462"></div>The robot-taxi revolution has the benefit of the world's richest person on its side.Elon Musk is all-in on driverless taxis. In fact, he's essentially betting one of his businesses — Tesla — <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-stock-tsla-earnings-call-report-live-updates-2024-7">on them being the future</a>.The EV maker is leaning heavily into an <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-reveals-uber-competitor-ride-hailing-app-photos-2024-4">Uber-like ride-hailing service</a> of driverless cars. And what better way to pitch the general population on something than leveraging Hollywood?Tesla's highly anticipated Robotaxi event next month is reportedly <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-tesla-robotaxi-event-warner-bros-discovery-studio-report-2024-9">taking place at Warner Bros. Discovery's movie studio</a>, writes BI's Ana Altchek.But Hollywood's glitz and glam and Musk's deep pockets can't address the biggest hangup for robot-taxi skeptics: safety.Supporters of driverless cars tout how they're actually safer than human drivers. And in many ways, they're not wrong. Machines aren't driving while texting or arguing with their kid in the backseat. And as powerful as Nvidia's GPUs might be, robots can't get drunk or high before getting behind the wheel.But they're also not perfect. Glitches and accidents in robot taxis range from the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/waymo-robotaxis-waking-neighbors-nightly-honking-2024-8">humourous</a> to the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-cruise-self-driving-robotaxis-were-banned-in-san-francisco-2023-10">horrifying</a>.Ultimately, not unlike a fear of flying, the root of the issue stems from people wanting to remain in control. If an accident is going to happen, at least it can be on their terms, so the thinking goes.Whether you agree with the sentiment or not, it's one the robot taxi community will need to address.<h3 id="77f31a4c-8462-4e3d-a71f-838cb79493fb">News brief</h3><h2 id="1fcd294b-3f53-425f-9f20-4093e8623b59">Top headlines</h2><ul><li>Nvidia recorded the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nvidia-records-biggest-ever-single-day-market-value-loss-2024-9">biggest single-day wipeout by a US company</a>.</li><li>The stock market's biggest risk this week is <a target="_blank" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/stock-market-biggest-risk-this-week-hot-august-jobs-report-2024-9">a hot August jobs report, BofA says</a>.</li><li>What it's like working at Tesla's Autopilot labeling facilities, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-autopilot-fsd-labeling-facilities-jobs-2024-9">where your keystrokes and bathroom breaks are tracked</a>.</li><li>Boar's Head 'negligence' led to the listeria-related death of a Holocaust survivor, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/boars-head-listeria-outbreak-deli-meat-death-holocaust-survivor-2024-9">his family says in lawsuit</a>.</li><li>Elon Musk says he 'can't wait' to work in <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-trump-cabinet-election-x-2024-9">Trump's White House</a>.</li><li>Justice Department takes a major step toward <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/doj-subpoena-nvidia-antitrust-investigation-heats-up-report-2024-9">an antitrust lawsuit against Nvidia</a>.</li><li>Burning Man, tech bros' favorite festival, got <a target="_blank" rel="noopener" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/burning-man-engulfed-dust-storm-that-snarled-exits-desert-camp-2024-9">engulfed in a huge dust storm</a> that snarled exits from the desert camp.</li></ul><h2 id="8120060b-ae66-48dc-b149-f0489a30ffa2">3 things in markets</h2><div type="image" title="Person in a business suit holding a solid gold bar with both hands" height="1000" width="2000" msid="113067388" hostid="261" sizebytes="104546"></div><ol><li>Goldman Sachs is all-in on … gold. The bank sees the metal hitting $2,700 per ounce by early next year, a 7% rise. From impending rate cuts to a hedge against geopolitical risks, <a target="_blank" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/commodities/gold-price-outlook-buy-continued-rally-next-year-2025-goldman-2024-9">here's why the firm is so bullish on gold</a>.</li><li>Big volatility meant big returns for Walleye. The $4.8 billion multi-strategy fund finished the wild month for stocks up 3.4%. Here's how other <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/august-hedge-fund-performance-walleye-citadel-millennium-2024-9">top funds like Millennium and Citadel fared</a>.</li><li>The dark side of rate cuts. Everyone's begging for some relief on interest rates, but it's not all rainbows and lollipops. If the Fed makes deep cuts in the next year, as many expect, that would mean <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/fed-rate-cuts-corporate-earnings-federal-reserve-slowdown-trivariate-research-2024-9">the economy weakened significantly</a>. In a similar vein, JPMorgan notes rate cuts <a target="_blank" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/fed-interestrate-cuts-stock-market-bull-run-upside-outlook-jpmorgan-2024-9">won't necessarily be rocket fuel for stocks</a>.</li></ol><h2 id="f4b54806-7f81-450c-ba32-92560d4fae9b">3 things in tech</h2><div type="image" title="Comments on an Instagram story" height="1500" width="2000" msid="113067393" hostid="261" sizebytes="29090"></div><ol><li>Instagram's newest update combines two popular features — and advertisers benefit from it. The social media app is adding comments to Instagram Stories, bridging Gen Z's two favorite features: Stories and DMs. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-instagram-launched-stories-comments-users-creators-chat-feature-2024-8">Here's why the change is especially helpful to Insta's advertisers</a>.</li><li>Google cofounder Sergey Brin is facing a second lawsuit over a deadly plane crash. In 2023, two pilots died after a plane owned by Brin crashed off the coast of California. Now, one pilot's family is suing Brin, his private family office Bayshore Global, Google, and a number of related companies in Santa Clara Superior Court, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/google-cofounder-sergey-brin-second-lawsuit-deadly-plane-crash-2024-8">alleging multiple counts of negligence</a>.</li><li>Wake up, babe. New AI product just dropped. The new feature from Spotter scans creators' YouTube libraries, then <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/spotter-ai-helps-youtubers-like-mrbeast-with-video-ideas-2024-9">gives them ideas for videos, titles, concept art, and more</a>. It's already got some big names behind it, with top YouTubers like MrBeast testing it out in a beta program.</li></ol><h2 id="9260fa45-d397-4b3c-b4f8-4bb193976216">3 things in business</h2><div type="image" title="Photo collage of woman on the phone." height="1001" width="2002" msid="113067402" hostid="261" sizebytes="579162"></div><ol><li>Human assistance is now a luxury item in customer service. In the age of customer service chatbots and endless FAQs, the ability to speak to a real human being is a privilege — not a right. As talking on the phone becomes even more exclusive, some companies are finding ways to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/customer-service-phone-calls-paid-status-symbol-luxury-2024-9">charge customers to speak with an actual human</a>.</li><li>ISO: Netflix's next ad leader. The streamer's advertising president is on the hunt for an ad sales boss who will help the company reach its lofty advertising ambitions. Insiders say the ideal candidate will be <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/inside-netflix-search-for-new-ads-leader-2024-9">less Madison Avenue and more Silicon Valley</a>.</li><li>The collapse of cable TV is deepening. In Q2, the pay-TV industry lost 1.6 million subscribers. While it's not the worst loss the field has suffered, there's really no reason to think the slide is going to slow down. As one analyst put it: "<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cable-tv-subscriber-losses-q2-venu-moffettnathanson-2024-9">there is no longer any floor</a>."</li></ol><h2 id="1ad7b482-3f4b-44b4-81b6-a864aa386478">In other news</h2><ul><li>Target customers are swapping lids on Owala bottles — <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/target-employees-owala-color-lid-swap-problem-stores-2024-8">and it's causing chaos in some stores</a>.</li><li>The Philadelphia Eagles want to make it very clear they have <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/philadelphia-eagles-harris-false-endorsement-ads-bus-election-2024-9">not endorsed Kamala Harris</a>.</li><li>The creator of the US Open's popular $23 cocktail puts a spin on the recipe <a target="_blank" rel="noopener" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-open-honey-deuce-creator-tweaks-recipe-at-home-2024-9">when he makes it at home</a></li></ul><h2 id="9f5d80ac-3466-429f-a50a-2ffbb70c65ff">What's happening today</h2><ul><li>Donald Trump participates in Fox News town hall.</li></ul>The Insider Today team: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/dan-defrancesco">Dan DeFrancesco</a>, deputy editor and anchor, in New York. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/jordan-parker-erb">Jordan Parker Erb</a>, editor, in New York. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/hallam-bullock">Hallam Bullock</a>, editor, in London. Milan Sehmbi, fellow, in London. Amanda Yen, fellow, in New York.

The tech industry is ready for robot taxis. But are the rest of us willing to go along for the ride?

<ul class="summary-list"><li>After years of massive losses, Uber is finally making money.</li><li>The ride-hailing giant reported better-than-expected Q2 earnings on Tuesday.</li></ul>After years of <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/where-uber-spends-its-money-lost-5-billion-second-quarter-2019-8">massive losses and huge spending</a>, Uber is now making a habit of turning a profit.The ride-hailing giant reported better-than-expected second-quarter earnings on Tuesday, with revenue rising 16% versus the year before, sending its stock price up nearly <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/stocks/uber-stock#:~:text=What%20are%20analysts%20forecasts%20for,the%20last%20price%20of%2058.90.">6% before the bell</a>.This comes after Uber announced its <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/uber-ceo-dara-khosrowshahi-helped-turn-billion-dollar-profit-2024-2">first-ever</a><a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/uber-ceo-dara-khosrowshahi-helped-turn-billion-dollar-profit-2024-2"> annual operating profit of $1.1 billion</a> for 2023 in February.Here's why the company is on the up:<h2 id="6e5ba5fe-9a34-444e-963e-ff1678f899fe">1. Ridesharing boom</h2>Uber's core business is booming right now, with gross bookings in its rideshare division <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://investor.uber.com/news-events/news/press-release-details/2021/Uber-Introduces-Uber-One-A-New-Membership-Program-Bringing-Together-the-Best-of-Uber/default.aspx">jumping 23% year-over-year</a>, according to its latest earnings release. The company said that growth was driven by better-than-expected performance in Latin America and the Asia Pacific region, where Uber has <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/r-uber-says-it-has-invested-500-million-in-mexico-since-2013-2018-7">expanded in recent years</a>.The ride-hailing giant recently announced a collaboration with <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/byd-uber-partnership-electric-vehicles-discount-autonomous-self-driving-tesla-2024-8">Tesla rival BYD</a> that will allow drivers to lease 100,000 electric vehicles.<h2 id="d0d22960-e314-4c51-afeb-3d87bf63f4d2">2. Delivery bet pays off</h2>Uber's food and grocery delivery services have grown rapidly and become a core part of the company.Like its ridesharing business, delivery saw healthy growth in the second quarter, with gross bookings rising <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://d18rn0p25nwr6d.cloudfront.net/CIK-0001543151/4911ab43-cc6d-4c37-9255-cce89cbce929.pdf">16% to $18.1 billion</a> from last year.The company's partnership with <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/uber-eats-instacart-restaurant-delivery-partnership-challenge-doordash-2024-5">Doordash rival Instacart</a> also seems to be paying off. In comments accompanying earnings, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said that orders through the Instacart app were, on average, 20% larger than native Uber Eats orders.<h2 id="2d5f8442-aeb0-4348-b611-9f00f63a86d0">3. Advertising boom</h2>Uber's advertising business is also booming. The company said Tuesday that Uber Ads achieved a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/uber-ads-reaches-1-billion-annual-revenue-run-rate-2024-8">net revenue annual run rate of $1 billion</a>.Another area likely giving shareholders something to cheer about is the Uber One membership program, which offers subscribers money off rides, zero delivery fees, and other exclusive perks.Khosrowshahi told investors in Uber Q1 earnings earlier this year the company expects Uber One, which launched in 2021, to generate more than $1 billion in revenue this year.<h2 id="965f75ec-285c-428b-b640-f1585fb10b87">4. New Transport Modes</h2>Uber has also added new transport options in the past few years, including motorcycle taxis, scooters, and airport shuttles.The company has also increased its focus on shared rides, expanding its UberX Share service to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/05/03/uberx-share-expansion">a host of new US cities last year</a>.<h2 id="22b28ab3-6724-4746-a9c4-28fa19b5588e">5. Cutting costs</h2>After the high-spending reign of CEO and cofounder <a target="_blank" rel="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/uber-ceo-travis-kalanick-life-rise-photos-2017-6">Travis Kalanick, </a>Uber has cut back costs significantly in recent years, helping it to achieve profitability.New CEO Khosrowshahi abandoned Uber's long-held China ambitions when he <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/uber-ceo-dara-khosrowshahi-helped-turn-billion-dollar-profit-2024-2">offloaded the company's stake in Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing</a> in 2021, and cut spending internally by laying off parts of Uber's workforce <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/uber-cutting-employees-more-rigorous-performance-reviews-2023-2">during and after the pandemic</a>.Uber did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider, made outside normal working hours.

5 reasons why Uber is on the up

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Tesla's driverless taxi plan has been met with skepticism over its feasibility and competition with rivals.</li><li>Analysts doubt Tesla's ability to achieve scale without rideshare partnerships.</li></ul>If Elon Musk can fully deliver on his plans to make <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-robotaxi-event-cybercab-elon-musk-2024-10">Tesla's Robotaxi</a> the new go-to mode of transport, he could bring an end to the ride-hailing economy as we know it.But some analysts aren't convinced that <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-robotaxi-analyst-predictions-uber-lyft-waymo-competition-2024-10">Tesla could upend Uber or Lyft</a>.On Thursday, Musk unveiled Tesla's driverless taxi and a 20-seat Robovan at Warner Bros. studio in Burbank, California. Customers would be able to hail a Robotaxi and use it for as long as it's needed, whether for a short trip or a full day, Musk said. The success of Musk's autonomous taxi vision depends on Tesla's advances in self-driving technology. However, analysts at Jefferies wrote in a note on Thursday that the electric vehicle giant had "ambitious targets, but little evidence of feasibility." They said that Tesla did not provide evidence of how it plans to achieve higher levels of autonomy, which makes the company less of a threat to existing ride providers like Uber."We believe this helps minimize the ongoing overhang on UBER's stock from TSLA's aspirations in the robotaxi space," analysts led by John Colantuoni wrote.Other analysts have questioned the timeline for Robotaxis, pointing to Musk's history of missing targets for Tesla's Full Self-Driving technology, or FSD.The Tesla CEO said he expects the two-seater Robotaxi, also referred to as Cybercab, to be in production sometime in 2026 "or before 2027" and cost less than $30,000.Paul Miller, an analyst at the financial services company Forrester, noted that Musk's announcement must be considered in the context of "a decade or more of his missed targets around autonomous driving."Autonomous taxi regulation has traditionally been slow, he added — and Tesla's approach will come with unique challenges. "Tesla's vehicles, sensors, and software will all need to be approved in any market they hope to enter. The Cybercab's lack of a steering wheel or pedals make sense in some future autonomous vehicles, but may further complicate the process of reassuring cautious regulators today," he said.<h2 id="b5b18a4d-ba10-446b-b760-5c17d2341ef4">Ride-hailing rivals have a head start on scale </h2>Musk has previously said Tesla would create its own ride-hailing platform, which would be a cross between Uber and Airbnb apps, for riders to summon a driverless car. While a portion of the fleet would be owned by Tesla, individual Tesla customers would also have the option to add their vehicles to the Robotaxi fleet for additional income. However, it will be tough to compete with the scale and operations of established companies like Uber, Lyft, and Waymo.Dan O'Dowd, Founder of The Dawn Project and <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-threatens-legal-action-against-viral-anti-fsd-campaign-2022-8">previous Musk critic, </a>noted that the contrast between Tesla and robotaxi competitors like Waymo was "stark.""Until Tesla robotaxis are transporting 100,000 paying customers a week around major American cities like Waymo does, Tesla Robotaxi is nothing more than the latest work of fiction to come out of the Warner Bros. Studio," he said in a note.Not everyone is pessimistic about Tesla's latest offering.Asset management company DeepWater said Tesla had found the "right balance between form and functionality" and <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://deepwatermgmt.com/the-is-tesla-a-tech-or-car-company-debate-is-over/">praised its FSD capabilities</a>. "The autonomous drive was smooth, feeling more natural than any of the FSD betas I've experienced. Even if some of the fit and finish was due to the controlled, closed-loop nature of the demo on Warner's back lot, the demonstration was impressive," DeepWater's Gene Munster and Brian Baker wrote in a note published Friday. <h2 id="c5fd8c31-1410-4405-8a94-bfda6fc90b6c">Lack of partnership deals</h2>Tesla could also struggle to scale its Robotaxi vision because of a lack of partnerships, analysts said. Tesla "potentially underappreciates the obstacles to scaling a robotaxi fleet" such as the technology, asset ownership, regulation, fleet management, and demand required to run an operation at scale, the Jefferies analysts wrote. "We also believe TSLA could struggle to scale fleet operations without offering access to demand via Uber/Lyft."Uber is already preparing for a future of electric cars and autonomous vehicles without Tesla's involvement.In August, Uber <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/byd-uber-partnership-electric-vehicles-discount-autonomous-self-driving-tesla-2024-8">launched a partnership</a> with Tesla's biggest competitor, Chinese EV maker BYD. The companies said Uber drivers in various markets could get discounts on 100,000 new electric vehicles from BYD, and the companies plan to collaborate on autonomous driving as well."The terms of the deal appear to incentivize Uber's drivers to choose BYD vehicles given lower pricing," Wedbush analyst Matt Bryson wrote in a note at the time.Plus, Uber has already <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/uber-robotaxi-wayve-dream-rivals-cruise-byd-2024-8">partnered with other robotaxi rivals</a>, including Alphabet-owned Waymo and Aurora Innovation."Uber can provide enormous demand without AV players needing to invest capital towards acquiring customers or building the marketplace tech that delivers reliability at the standard that consumers have come to expect," Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said in an earnings call in August. "We're in late-stage discussions with additional global AV players to join our platform."

Elon Musk's Robotaxi is still miles away from overtaking Uber and Lyft in the ride-hailing race

The first thing to know about riding in a robot taxi is that it feels very, very weird.The second thing to know is that, weirdly, riding in a robot taxi quickly starts to feel completely normal.The idea of a car that drives itself is as old as science fiction. But the push for autonomous auto tech didn't get underway in earnest until about 20 years ago, when <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/the-first-self-driving-cars-that-competed-in-darpa-grand-challenge-2015-10">DARPA started running contests</a> to see who could actually build a driverless vehicle. Two years ago, the Google spinoff Waymo and the GM subsidiary Cruise finally deployed <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/8-ways-driverless-cars-will-drastically-improve-our-lives-2015-12">cars without drivers</a> in San Francisco.It didn't go great. Just one day after Cruise started running its Uber-like ride-hailing service, a dozen <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cruise-san-francisco-robocabs-stalled-outside-lands-traffic-cars-california-2023-8">of its cars coalesced into a swarm traffic jam</a>. Last year, after getting hit by a human-driven car, a pedestrian fell to the street in front of a Cruise robot, which ran them over. Detecting a collision, the robot drove 20 feet forward and stopped at the curbside — <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-cruise-self-driving-robotaxis-were-banned-in-san-francisco-2023-10">dragging the person underneath</a>.Cruise got <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cruise-self-driving-robotaxis-all-time-low-mo-elshenawy-staff-2023-12">banned from the city</a>. But today, Waymo's <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/waymo-self-driving-taxis-chipotle-robots-future-of-service-2024-8">tricked-out Jaguar SUVs</a> — fender-mounted lidar sensors spinning like medieval banners heralding the arrival of the king — are ubiquitous in San Francisco. Kids wave at them; tourists take pictures. At first, access was limited, by invitation only. But in July, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/waymo-robotaxi-test-drive-san-francisco-2024-6">the service opened to anyone</a> willing to download an app and type in a credit-card number.Even me.I've been writing about <a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsweek.com/report-la-coming-home-159137">cities</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsweek.com/putting-charge-back-driving-178218">transportation</a> for a long time, so I know that it's exceedingly rare for a new mode of transport to appear. Planes, trains, and automobiles — that's pretty much the history of the past two centuries of people getting from here to there in new ways. So I decided to spend a few weeks riding around in Waymo's cars, to see what our robot-driven future looks like. I used them for running errands, the same as I might rely on Uber or Lyft. I also spent a day gallivanting around town in a more touristy way, to see what longer and more challenging routes felt like. I've come away convinced that self-driving cars are going to alter some fundamental things about America's cities, and how we get around them — for better and for worse.Before I hailed my first Waymo, I expected that riding in a robot cab was going to feel like a cozy version of the future. A car that drives itself? As a kid, I always knew that if I waited long enough, "Knight Rider" would come true. Turbo-boosted Super Pursuit Mode, here I come!When you call a Waymo, the waiting part of the experience is certainly familiar. You request a ride, and the app tells you how far away the car is and when to expect it. When the robot pulls up, a sort of beacon on top illuminates with your initials. You unlock the car by touching the app, and the handles unfold from flush against the door, like guns on a Transformer. Waymo's head of UX design, Lauren Schwendimann, tells me the doors are activated by the phone talking directly to the car — a first bit of hand-holding in the new relationship between human and machine.Get in, and the car greets you by name. Very chill ambient music plays, to get you in a Westworld frame of mind. Tap the touchscreen facing the back seat to tell the car you're ready, and off you go, with the screen providing a video-game-like view of the car's progress.The whole idea is to make riders feel like everything is going to be OK. "We very much curate that to achieve this relaxed feel," Schwendimann says. "When you ride other forms of transportation, you're in other people's space. There's value to public transportation, but there is something about having space to yourself and that moment of quiet, privacy, and peace."And, sure, it's calming — to a point. For me that point was when the car pulled away from the curb and I looked at the empty driver's seat. The steering wheel was turning of its own volition, as if I were being driven by a ghost. What I thought was, holy shit!Before riding in my first Waymo, I hadn't considered that when people called the first automobile a "horseless carriage," it must have been out of abject horror. The thing moved like a carriage … but there's no horse! There's no horse! Spooky.It turns out everyone who takes a Waymo experiences the same ghost-panic. "Yes, we know that is a very prominent feature of the ride experience," Schwendimann says. "It contributes to the sense of wonder and awe." That's mainly because robot cars, like every other vehicle on a city street, are required to have a functional steering wheel. In a Waymo, the driver's-side door doesn't even unlock. But once Waymo and other companies are permitted to roll out more Westworldly, podlike vehicles, without any driver controls, they'll be able to turn the space normally inhabited by a driver over to passengers. There won't be any "front seat." Younger siblings will weep, for there will no longer be a "shotgun!" to call. Now, it's worth pausing to appreciate that hardly anyone on Earth has ever been alone in a moving automobile without being the driver. This is an entirely new sensation, and let me tell you, it's destabilizing. As the steering wheel rotates, the car's screens display your progress through the city's streets, re-rendered as some sort of phantom zone. Buildings appear as barely there outlines. Other cars are bluish apparitions, while pedestrians and cyclists glow a vibrant, flickering orange-red. The closest sensation I could think of is a "<a target="_blank" href="http://themedenvironments.blogspot.com/2019/03/theme-park-101-layout-is-everything.html">dark ride</a>" at an amusement park, where everyone piles into an automated boat or a spaceship and gets pushed through an illuminated story populated by animatronic characters. You know <a target="_blank" href="http://passport2dreams.blogspot.com/2011/08/fire-in-night-pre-eminent-attraction-as.html">Pirates of the Caribbean</a> or It's a Small World? Waymo is Mr. Toad's Mild Ride.The video display is intended to help keep the rider grounded, as it were. "What we show in the scene are things to help the rider orient to where they are and understand the basics of where the car is going to go next," Schwendimann says. But for me, the eerie screen view only added to the surreality. London cabbies used to get licensed based on their command of the Knowledge, a truly encyclopedic sense of how to get around London's thousand-year-old streets; neuroscientists found that drivers who acquired this mastery of spatial memory literally had <a target="_blank" href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2011.11.018">bigger brains</a>. Yet here I was, sitting inside a robot programmed with San Francisco Knowledge, and it made me feel like my brain was getting smaller as a result of the outsourcing. The screen displayed no street names; the buildings were unidentifiable apparitions. I couldn't even ask the driver to take a more scenic route, or to pull over while I grabbed some coffee. I felt oddly alienated from the city I was moving through.From a consumer perspective, my Waymo experience was about on par with taking an Uber. Waymo was generally cheaper, and equally reliable. It sometimes took what seemed like slower, back-street routes. And it once canceled my pickup at a restaurant in North Beach just after a police car had rolled up nearby, sirens blaring and lights flashing, and brought traffic around me to a stop. But, flip side, the other day my Lyft driver, who seemed to have trouble following the directions on his phone, got lost. So … robot gets five stars?But the weirdest part of taking a Waymo is how quickly it stops feeling weird. Once you've heard the onboarding spiel a couple of times, the whole thing starts to feel a little bit like, well, riding in a cab. And after the novelty of the empty driver's seat wears off, the temptation to just pull out your phone and doomscroll your way to the next destination is powerful.Which is to say, it's shocking to be reminded of how quickly we begin to take the marvels of our world for granted. At one point, during my second ride, I reset the music from its futuristic ambient default setting to Classic EDM. But the next time I got into a Waymo, the futuristic ambient default was playing again. And I got mad! This self-driving, autonomous robot from the future can't even be bothered to remember my preference for Aphex Twin?When I tell Schwendimann about this, she laughs at me, which I deserve. Then she assures me that they're working on all kinds of customization settings — music, interior lighting, whatever. Whichever car picks you up should feel like your car, she says. That's part of feeling safe.Back in 2015, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.wired.com/2016/01/the-metastructure-transportation/">I rode in one of Google's experimental versions</a> of a self-driving car, with a human backup sitting behind the wheel. The car drove like a 16-year-old who just got their learner's permit. Every stop sign, every pedestrian on a sidewalk, even the occasional tree would cause the robot to slam on the brakes hard enough to bounce my head off the headrest.Waymo's Jags, by contrast, drive like a competent and cautious professional. Riding in them gets a little boring in part because they are uncannily good. We slipped deftly past a double-parked food-delivery driver — signaled, juked left, signaled, juked back right — amid Chinatown traffic. We changed lanes with confidence, maintained steady speeds on San Francisco's challenging hills. At one point, a driver with no patience for the Waymo's steady, speed-limit-abiding pace raced up behind us and pulled into a red-painted buses-only lane on our left to pass. The illegal move seemed to freak the Waymo out for a second — it paused, slowed way down. But then we got going again. (And yes, I realize it's weird to refer to myself and a robot car as "we.")In my own life I drive a faster-than-you'd-expect little hatchback, and I'll admit that I sometimes drive faster than you'd expect. But in some circumstances the Waymos were actually more aggressive than I would've been. Last week I induced my kids to come robot-riding with me, bribed with the promise of a blowout back-to-school lunch at Swan Oyster Depot. We went ranging around town, including a long drive that put us on Portola Drive, a curving and hilly extension of the city's spinal main drag. The Waymo took those curves faster and more affirmatively than I would have. At least one driver even honked at us as we — well, I don't want to say "cut him off," because a robot would never. But the other guy leaned on his horn, which, when you think about it, is kind of hilarious. The war against the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-tesla-cybertruck-apocalypse-inequality-2023-12">road machines</a> begins with road rage.Robots are clearly fantastic at doing car-like things. The question is, do we want more technology that does car-like things? Cars are flexible, fast, fun, and can go pretty much anywhere, as long as there's pavement and parking. So American cities basically gave them priority after World War II, ripping up trolley tracks and ramming new freeways through low-income and minority neighborhoods in the service of speed, suburban convenience, and petrochemical profits. But technological choices have consequences. The rise of cars fueled traffic jams, air pollution, climate change, income inequality, and a whole lot of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/road-rage-speeding-driving-traffic-large-expensive-cars-suv-2022-5">death and misery from car crashes</a>. Today about 20% of America's downtowns are <a target="_blank" href="https://parkingreform.org/resources/parking-lot-map/">devoted to parking</a> — as many as <a target="_blank" href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/5/3/034001">2 billion spaces</a>. Robot cars don't do much, if anything, to alleviate these problems — and they may make them worse. The biggest problem that robot cars "solve" is the cost of human labor. Instead of paying a living wage to cabbies, tech companies have spent billions of dollars developing robots to take their place. (Both Lyft and Uber have indicated that they envision their future as <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/byd-uber-partnership-electric-vehicles-discount-autonomous-self-driving-tesla-2024-8">full of robot drivers</a>.) The money goes up the line, to programmers, managers, and investors. Science has essentially discovered a way to increase profits by combining the social isolation and environmental degradation of the automobile with the frustration and ennui of public transit.But really, the experience of sitting alone in a robot car is more than that. Will people use the opportunity to turn off the surveillance cameras and have sex? Probably: They used to do that on the gondola ride at Disneyland, too. But the fact is, women, racial minorities, and LGBTQ+ people encounter all sorts of harassment and outright violence as they move through cities. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/uber-sexual-assault-43-percent-by-passengers-report-2022-7">Ride hailing is particularly bad</a> for that: Drivers harass lone passengers, and passengers harass drivers. Most of the conversation about the safety of robot cars has been about <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/missy-cummings-robot-taxis-tesla-elon-musk-autonomous-cruise-waymo-2023-10">what happens when they hit someone</a>, as they inevitably will. But the space inside a robot taxi is safe for people in a different way, because there's no one there to mess with you. It's one of the few ways to get around the urban landscape where you can be truly alone. If one metric for evaluating a city is how safely people and things can move through it, robot cabs will make cities measurably better.So on the one hand, autonomous vehicles are a literal transport of delight, a miraculous and liberating technology. And on the other, they magnify all the scary economics, bad ethics, weird sociology, and redistribution of wealth that cars helped usher in almost exactly a century ago. Pluses and minuses! Philosophers call that a "<a target="_blank" href="https://doi.org/10.5840/techne2019722100">technological sublime</a>."Since it's nearly impossible to imagine American cities <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/america-build-infrastructure-transportation-housing-regulation-environment-2023-11">building any grand new infrastructure</a> — no protected bike lanes, no new trolleys or subway lines or high-speed rail — robot taxis are what we get. Robots, after all, don't jeopardize the twin North Stars of what passes for urban planning in America: free parking and the freedom to drive fast. Maybe that's why one of the biggest tech companies in the world is being allowed to field test 2-ton experimental robots on the streets of a major American city. Robot cars will never take up a parking space. They will never require us, horror of horrors, to take a bus or a train. Instead they will blend invisibly into the world we've already built. Just a ghost in a dysfunctional machine, taking us for a ride.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/adam-rogers">Adam Rogers</a> is a senior correspondent at Business Insider.

I've been taking Waymo taxis, and it's even weirder than I expected

<ul><li>Delhi-NCR clocked the highest number of trips and office hours trips in <keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword>. </li><li>The most popular product, in terms of number of trips in India, was <keyword id="1042120" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="uber" source="Orion">Uber</keyword> Go followed by <keyword id="2802970" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="UBER-AUTO" source="Orion">Uber Auto</keyword>. </li><li>Most <keyword id="8414841" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="UBER-TRIPS" source="Orion">Uber trips</keyword> in India were booked between 5 pm and 6 pm, and Saturday was the most popular day for booking an Uber.</li></ul>Delhi-NCR, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Kolkata booked the highest number of <keyword id="3190291" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="uber-rides" source="Orion">Uber rides</keyword> this year, according to the ‘A Year In Review: How India Ubered in 2022’ report released by the global mobility provider company. Indians spent 11 billion minutes traveling in Ubers, covering 4.5 billion kilometers this year, which, according to the company, is the distance from Earth to Neptune. Delhi-NCR had the highest number of trips, overall, and also clocked the highest number of office-hour trips. Its immediate neighbours Gurgaon, Noida, Faridabad, and Ghaziabad also chose to make their way back to office in Ubers, the report revealed. Most Uber trips in India were booked between 5 pm and 6 pm, and Saturday received the highest bookings in a week. The most popular product, in terms of number of trips in India, was Uber Go (comparatively lower cost car rides) followed by Uber Auto. Additionally, sweet rides were the talk of town, or at least the talk of Uber on October 22, around the festival of Diwali. Because this day saw the highest number of package deliveries through Uber Connect–Uber’s delivery service–in 2022. Furthermore, in terms of preferences for <keyword id="13703272" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="uber-rentals" source="Orion">Uber Rentals</keyword> rides with multiple stops, most riders in India opted for the 2 hour, 20 kilometer package. “Backed by rider insights and data, the report shares insights on the increasing importance of ridesharing within the country and efforts to create sustainable cities for the future,” added Uber. Indian cities ‘swinging back open for business after the pandemic’ Uber revealed that, “the year 2022 saw Indians start traveling big again, and cities swinging back open for business after the pandemic.” Delhi-NCR, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Kolkata booked the highest number of Uber rides in India this year. No surprises that Chandigarh and Delhi were the top two cities in India in terms of the fastest average speeds clocked on the roads, followed by Ahmedabad, Lucknow and Kochi. On the other hand, Hyderabad, Chennai, Bangalore, Guwahati and Kolkata clocked the slowest average speeds on the roads this year, <keyword id="2502101" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="uber-india" source="Orion">Uber India</keyword> revealed. India’s top five intercity routes, according to Uber, were Mumbai - Pune, Mumbai - Nashik, Delhi - Agra, Jaipur - Chandigarh and Lucknow - Kanpur. Uber also revealed that Delhi - Purnia, Delhi - Madhubani, Bangalore - Mumbai, Delhi - Varanasi and Delhi - Ahmedabad were the longest intercity trips by kilometers traveled by Indians this year. Delhi to Purnia, alone, is a distance of over 1300 kilometers. The global mobility service company, launched in 2010, is now available in 123 Indian cities. In terms of the debutant cities, Rajahmundry in Andhra Pradesh emerged as the newcomer city with the highest number of trips. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/spicejet-inox-green-ntpc-among-stocks-to-watch-out-for/articleshow/96532933.cms">Sensex, Nifty50 to open marginally higher as investors remain cautious – SpiceJet, Inox Green, NTPC among stocks to watch out for</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/psus-stage-a-comeback-in-2022-and-the-future-looks-healthy-say-analysts/articleshow/96522444.cms">PSUs stage a comeback in 2022, and the future looks healthy, say analysts</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/covid-19-testing-is-now-mandatory-for-travellers-coming-to-india-from-thailand-five-other-countries/slidelist/96521648.cms">Covid-19 testing is now mandatory for travellers coming to India from Thailand, five other countries</a>

Indians spent 11 billion minutes traveling and covered 4.5 billion kilometers in 2022 in this taxi service

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Uber's CEO has some doubts about Elon Musk's <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla">Tesla</a> Robotaxi plan.</li><li>Dara Khosrowshahi questioned if Tesla owners would want strangers riding in their cars.</li></ul><a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/history-of-uber-and-its-rise-to-become-the-most-valuable-startup-in-the-world-2015-9">Uber</a> CEO Dara Khosrowshahi is skeptical about <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk">Elon Musk's</a> Robotaxi plan.The idea is that Tesla owners will rent out their vehicles as taxis when they aren't using them, creating <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-robotaxi-ride-hailing-app-video-2024-6">a fleet of privately owned autonomous cabs</a> that can be "summoned" at the click of a button. Musk has said it could earn Tesla owners up to <a target="_blank" rel="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-tesla-robotaxi-app-make-money-repurposing-cars-autonomous-2019-4">$30,000 a year</a>.On an episode of "The Logan Bartlett Show" <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TqU93IQOi8">released on Friday</a>, Khosrowshahi said it "wasn't clear" to him that the average <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-owner">Tesla owner</a> would want "to have that car be ridden in by a complete stranger."He also doubts that Tesla's taxis could meet demand during peak times."Probably the times at which you're going to want your Tesla are probably going to be the same times that ridership is going to be at a peak," he said. Comparatively, Khosrowshahi said Uber can quickly adjust the number of part-time drivers to meet demand <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/uber-ceo-taylor-swift-effect-2024-2#:~:text=Uber%20CEO%20Dara%20Khosrowshahi%20confirmed,on%20Taylor%20Swift's%20economic%20impact.">during rush hour or large events</a>.Khosrowshahi also said Musk might be underestimating a key part of the business. He said building a $50,000 piece of hardware is a "very, very different business" than driving over 30 million transactions every day. There is also the customer service side of things, like when someone gets sick during a ride or <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ten-weirdest-things-left-in-ubers-in-2023-2024-4">loses an item in a car</a>, he said.But Khosrowshahi said he doesn't think of the business as a "zero-sum game" and seemed to welcome collaboration with the EV giant. He made an analogy to fast food chains, which have their own "direct channel to consumers" but also work with other platforms in the marketplace to maximize efficiency and usage — like delivery services.Khosrowshahi said he thinks the same will be true of cars. For example, Tesla could build its autonomous vehicles and then partner with Uber to turn them into a ride-hailing service."It's taken us 15 years. It's taken us tens of billions of dollars of capital, and we can provide that instantly to a partner," Khosrowshahi said. "Hopefully, Tesla will be one of those partners."

Uber CEO says there's a potentially big problem with Elon Musk's Robotaxi idea

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Once upon a time, Americans could use certain apps to get cheaper prices and services.</li><li>The so-called millennial lifestyle subsidy offered convenience, but its relative rewards have faded.</li></ul>Sarah Manley, 31, was facing sticker shock.Manley, an artist and musician in Baltimore, was a loyal Airbnb user before the pandemic. When she emerged from lockdown and looked on the platform for a short-term stay, she was shocked by how much prices had risen. Indeed, Airbnb's <a target="_blank" href="https://s26.q4cdn.com/656283129/files/doc_financials/2022/q4/Airbnb-Q4'22-Earnings-Call-Transcript.pdf">average daily rate</a> rose by 36% from 2019 to the end of 2022.Manley opted for a hotel. Short-term rentals aren't the only habit she's ditched. She isn't using ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft anymore. She's found that parking at the airport for a few days is actually cheaper than the round-trip fare."If I was using rideshares and the delivery apps and everything the way I was, I would run out of money each month," she said.Manley is one of many American adults adjusting to life after the so-called <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/silicon-valley-millennial-lifestyle-subsidy-2023-7">millennial lifestyle subsidy</a>: a cadre of apps and services that launched in the 2000s and 2010s and earned the loyalty of a generation by offering convenience and low prices to things that may have been out of reach before. Think Uber, <a target="_blank" href="https://techcrunch.com/2023/09/29/wonder-group-blue-apron-acquisition/">Blue Apron</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wework-startup-failure-benchmark-insight-partners-venture-capitalists-learned-nothing-2023-4">WeWork</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/san-francisco-food-delivery-startup-sprig-is-shutting-down-2017-5">Sprig</a>, and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/flywheel-sports-filing-for-bankruptcy-and-closing-all-studios-2020-9">Flywheel</a>. Subsidized by their venture-capital backers, the brands sought to attract as many customers as possible, hoping profits would follow.But as inflation and higher interest rates have pushed prices up and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-vc-has-changed-in-2023-amid-a-slowdown-2023-11">scared away some investors</a>, consumers who got used to subscriptions and luxury experiences for less are having to find alternatives. For some, like Manley, it means going back to the old-fashioned way of doing certain things: shopping around for hotel deals, taking public transit more, and working out at home with fitness classes on video."At first it was obviously an adjustment being like, wait, I'm trying to go to this event and normally I'd take a Lyft," Manley said. "You kind of had to recalibrate some stuff, but I have gone away from it, and I don't see myself going back to it anytime soon."<h2 id="e2576016-c467-4070-a3e3-81d70b57c654">The millennial lifestyle subsidy hooked a generation on convenience and lower prices</h2>For a while, cash-strapped younger Americans seemed as if they'd lucked into a good deal: They might have had dismal career prospects or no chance of homeownership, but at least they could take a fitness class for $5 or even for free.The subsidized services felt like they were "for the people," Manley said. "That sounds very dramatic, but it was like, oh cool, we've come together to make these cheaper, better alternatives than the only option we've ever had."Suddenly the luxuries that were out of reach for recession-battered Americans — especially those who lived in food deserts or struggled with inconsistent public transit — were a little more accessible. For reasonable prices, you could get food delivered to your front door, access to boutique fitness classes, or a private-car-like experience. Millennials who were just reaching early adulthood got hooked.But the low entry prices for many of those services are rising. In 2022, Peloton raised its membership fee to $44 from $39 and rolled out additional <a target="_blank" href="https://www.theverge.com/2023/5/23/23734329/peloton-app-subscription-tiers-fitness">subscriptions</a>. Citing YipitData, Bloomberg reported that between 2019 and 2022, the average <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-05-04/uber-lyft-plunge-as-driver-supply-casts-doubt-on-profits">Uber price</a> rose by 45% and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-03-16/instacart-ceo-is-worried-about-inflation-of-food-prices">Instacart service fees</a> rose by 61%.It's caused some people to question whether their apps and subscriptions were worth it — or if they should go back to doing things as their parents did.Grant Plotkin, 26, is a Gen Zer who experienced the pre-2020 millennial subsidy as a young adult. He hopped to different ride-hailing services when they offered promotions to get off the ground. He opted for Airbnbs instead of hotels. He ordered meal kits.But as prices have gone up, he's shaken up his routine: Rather than finding him in a car, you're much more likely to catch him on the ferry. Instead of going to a WeWork-style coworking space, he'll use his building's amenities. He's eating out less, and when he does need to take a car somewhere, he's comparing prices across platforms.Plotkin estimated that if he were to use the same services he used before the pandemic, his costs would double."I remember Ubers used to just be a no-brainer, and it would be like $20 here, $15 there, super easy. And now I mean it's $40 or it's $50, and you got to question that," Plotkin said. "I mean, that can be more than your meal."<h2 id="cfcca580-f2e4-4486-ba30-bd1aa8fd3b38">The end of the millennial subsidy could mean higher prices across the board</h2>Rising wages have kept many Americans' finances in relatively good shape despite inflation, so the convenience of the apps is still strong. Airbnb this spring <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://news.airbnb.com/airbnb-q1-2024-financial-results/#:~:text=Airbnb%20Co%2DFounder%20and%20CEO,another%20record%20summer%20travel%20season.%E2%80%9D">reported record first-quarter bookings</a>, but with <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/airbnb-host-falling-revenue-more-competition-dropping-prices-2022-12">more hosts entering</a> the short-term rental market, many say they're getting <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="c-link" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/airbnbust-airbnb-short-term-vacation-rentals-investors-real-estate-reckoning-2023-3">fewer stays</a>. In a prime example of ending a subsidy, Netflix recently increased prices for some of its plans and cracked down on <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="c-link" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/netflix-password-sharing-clampdown-angry-subscribers-2023-2">password sharing</a> following a <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="c-link" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/netflix-earnings-losing-subscribers-second-straight-quarter-2022-7">loss of subscribers</a>. It <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="c-link" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/netflix-password-sharing-crackdown-worked-how-to-increase-subscription-streaming-2024-1">worked</a> to lure more individual sign-ups.Brett House, a professor of professional practice in the economics division at Columbia Business School, said low prices were never meant to be a long-term gift to consumers — they were meant to function as disruptors.But that the model isn't sustainable in a higher-interest-rate environment. When money was cheap to borrow and pour into a new company, investors could subsidize the costs of entry prices in hopes that infinite growth would lead to a captive audience. Now, though, with <a target="_blank" href="https://www.npr.org/2024/05/01/1248454950/federal-reserve-inflation-interest-rates">interest rates at a two-decade high</a>, capital is more expensive.Plus, as inflation squeezes people's budgets, they're looking for ways to change their habits. For some, that's cutting out meal kits and subscriptions. Even wealthy shoppers are turning to discount brands like <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wealthy-shoppers-aldi-dollar-general-tree-inflation-retail-prices-groceries-2023-6">Dollar General and Aldi</a>.The end of subsidies might also be exacerbating some of the inequities that they papered over: House said the hardest-hit Americans may be those in areas without reliable public transit or with few stores — meaning they can't go just walk elsewhere to find a better deal."That sort of economy always had a dark underbelly, and that's really, I think, what the legacy of this period is going to be," Bilal Baydoun, the director of policy and research at the Groundwork Collaborative, a left-leaning think tank, told BI. Those lower-than-normal prices were feeding a "monster," he said, "and that monster is the sort of monopolistic, Big Tech-enabled pricing schemes that we're seeing today."One of the legacies of this era's apps could be dynamic pricing. In the same way that ride-hailing apps increase prices during busy times, algorithms have made it easier for companies of all kinds to offer varying prices based on market conditions or user information.It also introduced more customers to the idea. You might scoff if a taxi driver said you needed to pay more for a ride in the rain but not blink an eye when an app says costs could rise because of the weather. The next iteration of the millennial subsidy might be gamifying <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/inflation-surge-pricing-dynamic-prices-save-money-walmart-wendys-risks-2024-7">surge pricing</a> for <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/inflation-surge-pricing-dynamic-prices-save-money-walmart-wendys-risks-2024-7">groceries</a> or a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/inflation-dynamic-pricing-surge-cost-fatigue-2024-7">side of fries</a>."It's making people miserable to not know what things cost. I mean, we live in an age where budgeting is really essential to get by amid a really long-term affordability crisis in this country," Baydoun said. That creates a "sense of chaos," Baydoun added, and a sense of "just being at the whims of corporate pricing consultants who are paid large sums to really just come up with more and better tricks."All of that might lead to companies pursuing ever riskier tactics to bring in revenue, like surge pricing or drip pricing, where fees are slowly revealed throughout a transaction — something that could break customer loyalty and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-much-uber-eats-lyft-doordash-instacart-grubhub-drivers-make-2024-2">mean lower pay for workers</a>.In the meantime, Americans are trying to find new subsidies where they can. For Plotkin, that's taken the form of another increasingly popular offering: credit-card rewards. Companies <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/american-express-platinum-card-gold-gen-z-millennial-rewards-2024-6">like American Express</a> have stepped in with offerings like subscription services and early access to events to attract new and younger customers. And younger workers are responding in kind, with <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/credit-card-rewards-points-friends-fights-brunch-money-payment-venmo-2024-7">tussles breaking out</a> over who exactly gets to put their card down for brunch when everyone gets 5% cash back on dining."To maximize ROI — if you even would call it that — for going out and about in town, it's like, OK, I use my specific card that gets more points for rideshare versus dining versus apparel or retail," Plotkin said. "And I've tried to become more savvy. I feel like I have to stretch that dollar even further now in this economy."Has the loss of the millennial subsidy affected your finances or lifestyle? Contact this reporter at <a target="_blank" href="mailto:jkaplan@businessinsider.com">jkaplan@businessinsider.com</a>.

Forget Uber and Airbnb: Some people are going back to doing things the old-fashioned way to save money  

<div type="image" title="One Planet Banner Test" height="138" width="1100" msid="109509214" hostid="261" sizebytes="5076"></div>On one Upper West Side side street, you can hear the quiet hum of electric vehicles almost all day and night.Manhattan isn't known for its plentiful parking. But this street has something even rarer: two public spots reserved for EV charging. Often, vehicles linger for hours.On a recent weekday, one licensed ride-hailing driver had been charging for more than 12 hours. Another EV sat for more than five hours at the neighboring plug. For the ride-hailing driver, that's 12 hours they didn't work. For other EV owners, it's one less charger to plug in to. A Tesla slowed as it drove by in hopes the spaces weren't occupied.This snapshot in time comes as New York City aims to convert almost its entire ride-hailing industry to EVs by 2030, with the exception of wheelchair-accessible vehicles. Mayor Eric Adams' Green Rides Initiative affects the city's more than 84,000 Uber and Lyft drivers — among the largest markets in the world. It's an ambitious target, given that under 10% of rides were taken in an EV in March, according to city data.The biggest hurdle is building enough public chargers, especially in such a densely packed city with an old power grid and lengthy bureaucratic delays. For Uber and Lyft drivers, time is money, so widely accessible charging is key to the EV switch. The majority live in NYC's outer boroughs, such as Queens, and park on the street, where chargers are sparse. A <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy22osti/82293.pdf">study by the US Department of Energy</a> found that 1,000 fast chargers were needed for every 20,000 EV drivers on the road. Currently, there are fewer than 200 across NYC. Plus, building thousands of new chargers requires billions of dollars of investment.City officials and ride-hailing companies told Business Insider that electrifying the sector could unlock a broader EV revolution because it could solve a crucial conundrum: Companies won't build charging stations if there aren't enough drivers, but drivers won't buy an EV if charging isn't widely accessible."This is the industry that's going to get this infrastructure off the ground because a ride-share driver is a great customer for a charging station," said Bobby Familiar, a spokesperson for Revel, an all-electric ride-hailing service that operates three public fast-charging stations in NYC. "They have to charge every single day that they do a shift. They want fast charging because every minute spent at the charger is time they could be on the road earning a fare."Electrifying the ride-hailing industry also has big returns for the environment, Michael Replogle, a former deputy commissioner for policy at NYC's Department of Transportation, said."If you can electrify Ubers, Lyfts, and taxis that drive several hundred miles a day, it will really reduce the city's carbon footprint and clean up the air," he said.Given the stakes, a lot has to go right in the coming years. The city has to strike a balance between the number of EV drivers and charging sites. Long wait times risk turning off drivers from making the switch, but if there isn't enough demand, the economics could fall apart for stations run by the government or private entities. Chargers also must be in neighborhoods with a history of underinvestment.<h2>A mad dash for EV licenses</h2>The transition is getting an early test this year now that thousands more ride-hailing drivers have licenses.In October, the Taxi &amp; Limousine Commission opened applications for this gig work for the first time in five years — but for EV drivers only. A cap had been in place since 2018 to stabilize drivers' wages and decrease traffic congestion.The TLC approved about 8,400 EV licenses. That brought the total to more than 11,000, a huge jump compared with several years ago.The program is on hold because of a lawsuit filed by the New York Taxi Workers Alliance. It represents the yellow-cab industry, which isn't under the EV mandate but can voluntarily make the switch to certain models. The alliance argued that the market would become oversaturated.TLC Commissioner David Do said many of those who applied were ride-hailing drivers already and the total number of drivers in NYC was still lower than pre-pandemic levels.A lot of ride-hailing drivers are excited about the EV push because it's a pathway to owning their own car, rather than renting from fleet owners, according to Aeraj Qazi, the owner of Primetime Brokerage, which helps drivers through the TLC licensing process."Rentals are like handcuffs for drivers, so EVs provide an opportunity for drivers to own their own plates," Qazi said.Weekly rental rates average between $450 and $600, several drivers told BI. That's more than a typical monthly car payment.Qazi said he and other brokerages helped file thousands of EV applications before the court-ordered injunction took effect late last year."We didn't realize how crazy it would get. The charging infrastructure isn't there right now," Qazi said.Guillermo Fondeur, an Uber driver who bought a Tesla in 2021, charges at home. He said the switch had saved him money on gas and maintenance, and he earns some perks from Uber, including an extra $1 on every ride.But he's heard complaints from other EV owners about the lack of public charging infrastructure."It's very inconvenient to find chargers," Fondeur said. "There are one- to two-hour waits to plug in some places."He added: "Drivers want to charge on the block where they live. The city could put chargers in the parking spaces. There's also a lot of parking lots."<h2>NYC's most valuable asset</h2>Today, there are nearly 200 fast chargers in NYC and more than 1,900 Level 2 chargers. The Adams administration <a target="_blank" href="https://climate.cityofnewyork.us/subtopics/electric-vehicles/">wants to grow the network</a> this decade to 6,000 fast chargers and 40,000 Level 2 plugs."We need every space we can find," Do said.In general, EVs can get up to 30 miles of range for every hour they're plugged in to a Level 2 charger. That makes them ideal for overnight street parking, or for several hours during the day while drivers run errands or go to work. Fast chargers, such as those in Tesla's Supercharger network, can add up to 200 miles of range in just 15 minutes, helping ease range anxiety among road trippers and ride-hailing drivers who need a quick refill but don't want to lose too much time.Making progress in NYC requires coordination across the government, power utilities, and private companies. Do is part of a charging task force that brings those parties together.The TLC is sharing data on where drivers live and where and how often trips happen to help inform where chargers should be. The utility Con Edison is identifying where enough power is already available for new chargers and expanded a statewide program that subsidizes the cost of bringing electricity to chargers to $585 million. The Department of Transportation is investing in some curbside charging and fast chargers <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/pr2023/fast-charging-hubs.shtml">in municipal parking lots</a>.The department's efforts build on a <a target="_blank" href="https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/68833">curbside-charging pilot</a> with Con Edison and a Canadian company, Flo. It created 100 Level 2 plug-ins across all five boroughs, a spokesperson for the department said, and there are plans for hundreds more.But those efforts alone won't spur enough development, Replogle, the former DOT official, said."It took us 3 ½ years to stand up that pilot," he said. "We recognized we would not be getting thousands of on-street Level 2 chargers by scaling up that model. It's going to take some competitive procurement with the private sector to make this happen."There are barriers, Replogle added. There isn't a clear path for private charging companies and real-estate owners to get regulatory approval for installing curbside plugs."Street space is one of the most valuable assets the city owns," Replogle said. "There are 3 million parking spaces, and less than 250,000 of them are priced. So there are a fair number of spaces that can produce the kind of economic return for electrification to happen."A DOT spokesperson said the department last year sent out a request for information from EV-charging companies, which will inform future partnerships.Beyond curbside, there are hurdles for companies such as Revel that are building larger fast-charging stations with dozens of plugs. These sites often need electrical-power upgrades to connect to the grid, a lengthy process with Con Edison."We're approaching every charging station like it's a new high-rise building," Familiar said. "But the timeline for getting a charging station up and running is a lot different than a building. If we have power, we can get a site done within months, not years. The power-upgrade timeline does not match that."Charging stations should go to the front of the line, he added.A spokesperson for Con Edison said the utility was evolving its grid-planning process to prepare for large EV loads."When upgrades are needed at the customer property, we are working to reduce interconnection timelines at every step in the process from early customer engagement and education through improved work coordination and collaborating closely with municipalities on permitting," the spokesperson said.<h2>The charging pipeline</h2>Despite the delays, Revel has a pipeline of 300 fast chargers over the next two years, Familiar said. That figure reflects active site leases in various phases of design and construction.Revel owns a fleet of 500 vehicles and more than 50 plugs in NYC that are open to any model.One of the new stations is set to be at LaGuardia Airport, one of the busiest areas for ride-hailing trips in the city. Installing 48 plugs would make it the largest fast-charging location at any airport nationwide. It's expected to open next year.Revel in March also struck a deal with Uber that guaranteed its drivers would use at least 250 of Revel's plugs a certain amount of the time. If Uber doesn't meet the use threshold, it's financially liable. In exchange, Uber drivers will get up to a 25% discount when they charge.The agreement could help Uber meet its own goal to have its drivers go fully electric this decade. So far, more than 6% of Uber's fleet in the US and Canada has zero emissions, and more than 17% of trips in NYC were in EVs last year. The company said it's spending $800 million by 2025 to encourage drivers to make the switch.Josh Gold, Uber's senior director of public policy, said that after the TLC lifted its cap on EV licenses, he saw longer lines at Tesla's Superchargers. And for years, many of the platform's early EV adopters were going to Manhattan to charge, often in paywalled parking garages."That's not where our drivers live," he said. "So that's been a worry, but now we're seeing the charging infrastructure develop more."Uber is sharing ride data with Revel so it can locate chargers in the most convenient places for drivers. Uber has a similar agreement with Tesla.Lyft, for its part, said it's investing $80 million through 2025 on its EV push and working with charging companies including EVgo and Electrify America to offer discounts. Nearly 17% of NYC Lyft rides were in EVs last year.The rising demand from the ride-hailing industry for EV charging could help buoy other startups. Itselectric is piloting some Level 2 curbside charging using excess power from buildings, which avoids the need for utility upgrades and therefore could speed up the build-out. In a parking garage in midtown Manhattan, Gravity in March opened what it says are the 24 fastest chargers in the country.Almost everyone BI interviewed for this story acknowledged that the city's EV's ambitions were lofty.There are some promising signs, however.Do said that the Green Rides Initiative was two years ahead of schedule. By 2025, at least 15% of ride-hailing trips were supposed to be in zero-emissions or wheelchair-accessible vehicles. That threshold was crossed in January and ticked up even higher in March to 17%. That month, more than 2 million trips were taken in an EV — a fivefold increase compared with November.Do said he wanted to boost the TLC's outreach to drivers so they could understand the perks of switching to an EV."There are so many more benefits to a green vehicle, not only for the future of our city but for kids who will breathe cleaner air, and it also might be a little cheaper," he said. "So we've laid the foundation, but now we need to convince many other drivers to convert."Juliana Kaplan contributed to this article.This article is part of "<a target="_blank" rel="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/the-great-transition">The Great Transition</a>," a series covering the big changes across industries that are leading to a more sustainable future. For more climate-action news, visit Insider's <a target="_blank" rel="noopener" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/one-planet">One Planet</a> hub.

NYC's EV revolution is riding on Uber and Lyft drivers

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The roads are perilous for NYC's app-based delivery drivers on e-bikes and other micro-mobility vehicles.</li><li>NYC infrastructure lags, with few protected bike lanes or designated moped and e-bike lanes.</li></ul>If you've ordered takeout recently in New York City, chances are your food was whisked to your front door by a delivery driver on an electric bicycle or moped.But what you likely didn't consider when you made your order was that the person hand-delivering your dinner may have risked their life to get it to you.New York City delivery workers who don't use cars have one of the deadliest jobs in the city. There are now more than 65,000 app-based restaurant delivery workers in the city, and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/05/business/delivery-workers-new-york-bathrooms-ebikes/index.html">about 80%</a> of them use e-bikes and motorbikes.The fatality rate for these workers was at least 36 per 100,000 between January 2021 and June 2022, the city Department of Consumer and Worker Protection <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nyc.gov/assets/dca/downloads/pdf/workers/Delivery-Worker-Study-November-2022.pdf">reported</a>. That's more than 5 times the fatality rate for construction workers in New York City, which was seven per 100,000 in 2020, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bls.gov/iif/state-data/fatal-occupational-injuries-in-new-york-city-2020.htm">according to</a> the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Most driver deaths are a result of traffic crashes, though workers are also subject to a high rate of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/09/nyregion/delivery-workers-robberies-nyc.html">violent robbery</a>.App-based delivery drivers are also being severely injured at extremely high rates. The city report found that 28.7% of e-bike or moped delivery workers experienced injuries that forced them to miss work, lose consciousness, or seek medical care. Complicating matters, delivery drivers are <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nyc.gov/assets/dca/downloads/pdf/workers/Delivery-Worker-Public-Hearing-Written-Testimony-061522.pdf">disproportionately immigrants,</a> and many are living in the country illegally, so they avoid reporting these crimes to the police or seeking medical care for fear of deportation.According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, transportation and material-moving jobs have the second-highest fatality rates nationwide after farming, fishing, and forestry.<h2 id="61e96346-a699-43db-ba1b-0176a2336762">Inadequate infrastructure</h2>The increase in bicycles and electric-powered non-car vehicles on the streets is a huge win for the climate and for street safety in general — more efficient, greener transportation and fewer cars and delivery trucks on the roads is a good thing.But New York City's infrastructure is way behind. The roads are designed to move cars and trucks as quickly as possible, with little accountability for dangerous driving and very little protected space for anyone getting around by bike or scooter. Just 3% of the city's roads have protected bike lanes, and just 1% of intersections have red light cameras, Bloomberg recently <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2024-03-11/new-york-city-s-decade-long-battle-for-pedestrian-safety">reported</a>.Delivery drivers aren't the only New Yorkers at high risk of being killed in a traffic accident. Bicycle deaths, overall, hit a 24-year high in 2023. Most of the 30 cyclists who were killed in crashes last year died in collisions with automobiles — mostly trucks or SUVs — on streets without bike lanes, according to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/05/nyregion/nyc-cyclist-deaths-ebike.html">a New York Times analysis</a>.Without sufficient safe infrastructure, cyclists — and all kinds of non-car drivers — opt for sidewalks, where they can disrupt pedestrians, or dangerous roads where they're <a target="_blank" href="https://abc7ny.com/food-deliveryman-killed-cyclist-sunset-park-new-york-city/5001979/">no match for cars</a> and trucks.The surge in delivery drivers on e-bikes, scooters, mopeds, and motorbikes has created some safety and quality-of-life issues for everyone else on the street as well.In January, New York Mayor Eric Adams <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-01-24/nyc-launches-city-office-to-regulate-e-bike-delivery-boom">announced the creation</a> of a new department of sustainable delivery tasked with regulating commercial delivery services that use bikes and other micro-mobility vehicles.The city's Department of Transportation insists it's taking seriously street safety for delivery workers and others using multi-modal transportation. A spokesperson for the department told Business Insider that it built more protected bike lanes last year — 32 miles of them — than all other major US cities combined.But that falls far short of the <a target="_blank" href="https://projects.transalt.org/bikelanes">50 miles of protected lanes</a> it aimed to build last year. The department also noted it's working to expand certain well-used bike lanes and the number of bus-mounted cameras that ticket drivers that block bike and bus lanes.<div type="image" title="A memorial ghost bike stands in memory of Jose Alvarado, a delivery worker killed by a hit-and-run driver in the South Bronx." height="851" width="1280" msid="110701998" hostid="261" sizebytes="259308"></div>Advocates for safer streets say the city needs to do much more to build better infrastructure. They're asking for wider protected bike lanes, or even separate lanes for e-bikes and mopeds, and charging facilities for e-bikes."The City is going backwards on street safety. The number of fatalities and injuries will only continue to rise unless the City matches the huge surge in e-bikes and mopeds with infrastructure improvements, dedicated e-bike lanes, investments in slow and shared streets, and accountability from food delivery companies," New York City Comptroller Brad Lander said in a statement to Business Insider.<h2 id="de5185f6-21dd-4bd9-a400-d90aff2f80bd">Little accountability</h2>App-based delivery workers' status as gig workers — contractors rather than employees — is central to their plight. Food delivery companies — including giants like Uber Eats, Grubhub, and DoorDash — don't have to provide them with benefits, including health insurance.And they didn't have to provide them with minimum pay until last year when the city implemented <a target="_blank" href="https://apnews.com/article/nyc-delivery-workers-minimum-wage-app-45d1fe3a184bc1a49acef647d6cb5758">a minimum wage</a> for app-based restaurant delivery drivers. In April, the mayor announced the hourly wage would be bumped to $19.56 per hour, before tips — a big improvement on the average of $5.39 per hour that workers made before the law went into effect.Ligia Guallpa, executive director of the worker advocacy group the Workers Justice Project, blames food delivery companies for creating unsafe working conditions by incentivizing workers to deliver as many orders as they can as quickly as possible, and to work late at night, during storms, and in other risky conditions. Advocates for delivery workers hope minimum pay will lessen these incentives."The number one reason we have been advocating for fair pay in the app delivery industry is because having dignified pay actually translates into safety on the streets," Guallpa, who was <a target="_blank" href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/new-york-inside-power-list.html">a driving force</a> behind the creation of minimum pay for app workers, told Business Insider. "Minimum pay really means that you can actually drive safely when you're riding to make that delivery."A spokesperson for DoorDash said the company offers all drivers occupational accident insurance, and has a trust and safety team available to support drivers around the clock. Uber similarly insisted the company is "deeply committed to building innovative features, promoting safe behavior on the road, and working with safety experts to raise the bar on safety," according to a spokesperson.Guallpa's group wants to see a slew of other changes to improve worker safety, including boosting worker protections and investments in infrastructure like bike lanes and bike parking, better education for workers and connections to city resources, and stronger enforcement of the employers' obligations.Lander and Guallpa also want the companies to help their joint effort to create "Deliverista hubs" — storefronts and converted newsstands where workers can take breaks, charge their bikes, get training, and be connected with city resources like health insurance. Three hubs are in the works — one near City Hall in lower Manhattan, one on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, and one in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, Guallpa said.Keeping delivery workers safe should be a public priority, Guallpa said. Indeed, "New Yorkers are dependent on app delivery workers to keep them safe and fed during times of crisis," she added.Are you a delivery driver who uses an e-bike or moped? If you're interested in sharing your story, reach out to this reporter at <a target="_blank" href="mailto:erelman@businessinsider.com">erelman@businessinsider.com</a>.

Delivering food on an e-bike or moped is a deadly endeavor in New York City 

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Uber Eats workers can't deliver orders on foot anymore in New York City.</li><li>Uber made the change last week, citing the city's new pay law for <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/golden-age-gig-work-instacart-doordash-delivery-jobs-over-2023-12">gig delivery workers</a>.</li></ul><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/uber-eats-partners-costco-suburbs-expansion-deliveries-2024-5">Uber</a> doesn't want its delivery workers running — literally — around New York City anymore making deliveries.As of last week, the delivery service no longer allows gig workers to deliver orders on foot in the city, according to an email shared with Business Insider. Its reason: walking workers don't deliver enough orders to be compatible with New York's recently enacted pay law, which mandates that workers who make deliveries through a gig work app make at least <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nyc.gov/site/dca/news/018-24/mayor-adams-first-annual-increase-minimum-pay-rate-app-based-restaurant-delivery">$19.56 an hour</a> before tips."Because New York City's Minimum Pay Rate encourages apps to use workers' time more efficiently, and walkers have fewer delivery opportunities that take more time to complete, as of May 28th we are removing the option to deliver as a walker," Uber wrote last month in an email sent to couriers in the city.The email directs workers who previously made deliveries by walking to use other means, such as a car, motorcycle, moped, or bike. It also contains a link to a company called Zoomo, through which Uber contractors can pay to rent <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/delivery-drivers-e-bikes-mopeds-danger-traffic-crashes-nyc-2024-6">e-bikes</a> by the week.Uber spokeswoman Freddi Goldstein confirmed the change in an email to BI.Despite Uber's efficiency claim, Makeda Charles, who started delivering food for Uber Eats in New York City last year, said walking can be faster than fighting through traffic in America's most populous city.Charles focused on delivering orders in Midtown Manhattan and the Financial District, and her trips usually involved walking no more than a few blocks, she told BI. She credits her Uber earnings for helping her stabilize her life after experiencing homelessness."It makes sense for a city like New York where everybody walks," she said of Uber's walking delivery option. Since Uber ended the walking option, she has gotten a fulfillment job at Amazon.Goldstein did not respond to a question from BI about how Uber determined that deliveries made on foot were less efficient than alternatives in New York City.Delivery services have made other changes over the last several months in the name of New York City's minimum wage law for gig workers. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/doordash-regulatory-response-fee-nyc-minimum-wage-law-delivery-workers-2024-2">Uber Eats was one of multiple services that added a fee</a> earlier this year to offset the higher wages for delivery workers.Uber Eats and DoorDash also took away the option for New York City customers to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/doordash-uber-eats-remove-tipping-checkout-nyc-courier-fee-pay-2023-12">tip their delivery person when paying for their order</a>. Now, they can add gratuity only after an order has been completed or picked up.Delivery apps have also been pushing back on <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/instacart-doordash-pushing-back-against-seattle-gig-worker-laws-payup-2024-4">a minimum pay law for gig workers in Seattle.</a>There, the companies have pushed workers to testify against the law and have sent them <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/instacart-adding-miles-to-seattle-deliveries-gig-work-pay-law-2024-4">miles out of the way</a> to avoid paying the higher wage.Do you work for Uber, DoorDash, Instacart, Walmart Spark, or another gig delivery service and have a story idea to share? Reach out to this reporter at abitter@businessinsider.com

Your Uber Eats orders may be more likely to get stuck in NYC traffic now

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The tech industry has been on a quest for profitability lately.</li><li>To get there, some tech companies have been raising prices. </li></ul>Sooner or later, everything old is new again.We may be at this point in tech, where supposedly revolutionary products are becoming eerily similar to the previous offerings they were supposed to beat.Take <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/tech/best-streaming-service">video streaming</a>. In search of better profitability, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-netflix-is-changing-the-entertainment-industry-2021-8">Netflix</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bob-iger-plan-smaller-disney-could-work-potential-pitfalls-2023-8">Disney</a>, and other providers have been <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/disney-hiking-prices-for-disney-plus-hulu-was-inevitable-2023-8">raising prices</a>. The various bundles are now as annoyingly confusing as cable, and cost basically the same. Somehow, we're also paying to watch ads. How did that happen?<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/streaming/what-is-prime-video">Amazon Prime Video</a> costs $9 a month and there are no ads. Oh, except when <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-thursday-night-football-audience-shortfall-advertiser-make-good-2023-1">Thursday Night Football</a> is on. Then there are <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/presentation-amazon-sports-nfl-thursday-night-football-fuel-ad-business-2022-10">loads of ads</a>. And Amazon is discussing an ad-supported version of the Prime Video service, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/amazon-plans-ad-tier-for-prime-video-streaming-service-8944fe51">according to</a> The Wall Street Journal. That <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-ad-tier-prime-video-could-mean-higher-prices-report-2023-6">won't be free</a>, I can assure you.Paramount+ with Showtime costs $12 a month and the live TV part has commercials and a few other shows include "<a target="_blank" href="https://help.paramountplus.com/s/article/PD-Why-are-commercials-on-some-shows-and-not-others">brief promotional interruptions</a>," according to the company. Translation: ads.Streaming was supposed to be better and cheaper. I'm not sure that's the case anymore. This <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/tech/how-to-watch-nfl-football-without-cable">NFL season</a>, like previous years, I will record games on OTA linear TV using a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-tivo-premiere-2010-3">TiVo box</a> from about 2014. I'll watch hours of action every weekend for free and I'll watch no ads. Streaming can't match that.You can still stream without ads, but the cost of this is getting so high, and the bundling is so complex, that it's getting as bad as <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cable-tv-subscribers-plunging-2015-8">cable</a> — the technology that streaming was supposed to radically improve upon.The Financial Times recently <a target="_blank" href="https://bernstein.email.streetcontxt.net/platform/al?a=7201537&amp;ad=1152119958&amp;h=7ov8CqZ&amp;sig=t_WfoAykGkcsshbSvfivF0FhVFE&amp;v=2&amp;url=https://www.ft.com/content/02e7e67d-8367-427e-9aa7-e66c7f7fa8a1">reported</a> that a basket of the top US streaming services will cost $87 this fall, compared with $73 a year ago. The average cable TV package costs $83 a month, it noted.<h2>A 3-mile Uber ride that cost $51.69</h2>A similar shift is happening in ride-hailing. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ubers-history">Uber</a> has been on a quest to become profitable, and it achieved that, based on one measure, in the most-recent quarter. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/lyft-is-reportedly-cutting-1200-jobs-30-percent-workforce-uber-2023-4">Lyft</a> is desperately trying to keep up. How are they doing this? Raising prices is one way.Wired's editor at large, Steven Levy, recently <a target="_blank" href="https://www.wired.com/story/uber-ceo-will-always-say-his-company-sucks/">took a 2.95-mile Uber ride</a> from downtown New York City to the West Side to meet Uber CEO <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/uber-ceo-shares-most-common-career-mistake-young-people-make-2023-6">Dara Khosrowshahi</a>. When asked to estimate the cost of the ride, Khosrowshahi put it at $20. That turned out to be less than half the actual price of $51.69, including <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/uber-driver-tipping-trends-getting-worse-taylor-swift-riders-best-2023-4">a tip for the driver</a>."Oh my God. Wow," the CEO said upon learning the cost.I recently took a Lyft from Seattle-Tacoma International airport to a home in the city. It cost $66.69 with driver tip. As a test, I ordered a taxi for the return journey. Exact same distance, and the cab was stuck in traffic longer. The cost was $70 with a tip. So basically the same.And the cab can be ordered with an app now that shows its location, just like Uber and Lyft. So what's the revolutionary benefit here? The original vision was car sharing where anyone could pick anyone else up. Those disruptive benefits have steadily ebbed away through regulation, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/uber-must-face-drivers-california-lawsuit-big-labor-rights-win-2023-7#:~:text=Uber%20must%20face%20driver%27s%20lawsuit,dispute%2C%20California%27s%20supreme%20court%20rules&amp;text=An%20Uber%20Eats%20driver%20sued,t%20be%20taken%20to%20court.">disputes with drivers over pay</a>, and the recent push for profitability.<h2>Cloud promises are being broken</h2>Finally, there's the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cloudverse-100-top-people-building-the-next-generation-internet-2022-11">cloud</a>, which promised cheaper and more secure computing for companies. There are massive benefits from flexibility here: You can switch your rented computing power on and off quickly depending on your needs. That's a real advance.The other main benefits — price and security — are looking shakier lately.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/inside-18-difficult-months-at-salesforce-2023-4">Salesforce</a>, the leading provider of cloud marketing software, is increasing prices this month. The cost of the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/tech/what-is-microsoft-365">Microsoft 365</a> cloud productivity suite is rising, too, along with some Slack and Adobe cloud offerings, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cio.com/article/646151/why-is-salesforce-hiking-prices-and-how-does-it-affect-customers.html">according to</a> CIO magazine.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/aws-ceo-adam-selipsky-stressed-about-amazon-day2-culture-2023-7">AWS</a> is going to start charging customers for an IPv4 address, a crucial internet protocol. Even before this decision, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/companies-keep-aws-cloud-costs-under-control-2021-1">AWS costs</a> had become a major issue in corporate board rooms.As a fast-growing startup, Snap bought into the cloud and decided not to build it's own infrastructure. In the roughly five years since going public, the company has spent about <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/snap-google-cloud-aws-reducing-costs-2023-2?IR=C">$3 billion on cloud services from Google and AWS</a>. These costs have been the second-biggest expense at Snap, behind employees."While cloud clearly delivers on its promise early on in a company's journey, the pressure it puts on margins can start to outweigh the benefits, as a company scales and growth slows," VC firm Andreessen Horowitz wrote in a <a target="_blank" href="https://a16z.com/2021/05/27/cost-of-cloud-paradox-market-cap-cloud-lifecycle-scale-growth-repatriation-optimization/">blog</a>. "There is a growing awareness of the long-term cost implications of cloud."Some companies, such as Dropbox, have even repatriated most of their IT workloads from the public cloud, saving millions of dollars, the VC firm noted.What about security? Last month, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ipg-mediabrands-privacy-alert-pause-google-performance-max-ads-2023-8">Google</a>, the third-largest cloud provider, started a pilot program where thousands of its employees are limited to using work computers that are not connected to the internet, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cnbc.com/2023/07/18/google-restricting-internet-access-to-some-employees-for-security.html">according to</a> CNBC.The reason: Google is trying to reduce the risk of cyberattacks. If staff have computers disconnected from the internet, hackers can't compromise these devices and gain access to sensitive user data and software code, CNBC reported.So, cloud services connected to the internet are great for everyone, except Google? Not a great cloud sales pitch.

Tech's broken promises: Streaming is now just as expensive and confusing as cable. Ubers cost as much as taxis. And the cloud is no longer cheap.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Tesla just gave us a peek at its planned ride-hailing interface.</li><li><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk">Elon Musk</a>'s company is emphasizing its self-driving and robotaxi businesses as EV demand softens.</li></ul><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla">Tesla</a> on Tuesday released more details about its planned launch of an Uber-like ride-hailing service.The service would live inside the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-owner-unlocked-drove-strangers-model-3-app-2023-3">Tesla app</a>, which Tesla owners can already use for almost all vehicle functionality, the company said.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-stock-tsla-quarterly-earnings-call-report-live-updates-2024-4">Tesla's Q1 earnings</a> presentation contained screenshots illustrating a moody black-and-white interface that would allow riders to summon a supposedly driverless vehicle, set the car's interior temperature, and track its location on a 3D map.<div type="image" title="Preview of ride-hailing interface in the Tesla app" height="786" width="1397" msid="109542178" hostid="261"></div>On a call with investors, Musk provided a bit more detail about Tesla's plans for the robo-taxi business, comparing it to a combination between Airbnb and Uber."There will be some number of cars that Tesla owns itself and operates, a bunch where they are owned by the end user," Musk said.The result, Musk said, will be "tens of millions of cars" in a self-driving fleet that is providing Tesla with a constant flow of data and feedback when things go wrong.Tesla has placed more focus on the potential value of its self-driving software and robotaxi business as softening EV demand <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-sales-miss-ev-slowdown-new-wave-customers-2024-4">pinches sales</a> and price cuts take a bite out of Tesla's mighty <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-elon-musk-acted-normal-this-year-it-worked-out-2023-12">automotive profit margins</a>. Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced earlier in April that the company would reveal a long-awaited <a target="_blank" rel="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-to-reveal-robotaxi-this-year-elon-musk-2024-4">robotaxi</a> in August. Despite <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-autopilot-safety-assisted-self-driving-systems-2024-3">pushback from safety groups</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-fsd">high-profile legal troubles</a>, Tesla has pushed forward with new iterations of its driver-assist software, which it calls "Full-Self Driving" or FSD. Tesla has also said it is working on ride-hailing functionality to be available sometime in the future.

You Searched For "uber bike taxi service" and got 13 results

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Delivering food on an e-bike or moped is a deadly endeavor in New York City

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Your Uber Eats orders may be more likely to get stuck in NYC traffic now

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Tech's broken promises: Streaming is now just as expensive and confusing as cable. Ubers cost as much as taxis. And the cloud is no longer cheap.

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