Collaborative Consumption
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Metromile Launches Uber Car Insurance Where Drivers Only Pay For Personal Miles
Uber covers drivers with $1 million of insurance when they’re on the job, but they still have to buy personal car insurance even if they hardly drive off-the-job. But now, Metromile and Uber have developed a seamless personal/commercial per-mile car insurance plan for Uber drivers that uses a cellular gadget that plugs into their vehicle’s diagnostic port. It connects with Uber… Read More
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Rocket Internet’s Helpling Mops Up $17M For Its Cleaners-On-Demand Service
Helpling, the Rocket Internet-backed cleaner-on-demand service, has tidied in a nice little sum of its own after announcing $17 million in fresh funding. Investors in this Series A round include Mangrove Capital, Phenomen Ventures, Point Nine Capital and Delivery Hero chairman Lukasz Gadowski. Read More
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Ears-On With Spotify In Uber: Fast, Fun, And Data-Free DJing If Drivers Have It
Uber now lets you play backseat DJ for your car’s sound system via Spotify in 10 cities. On my demo ride-along, I was impressed by how easy and seamless it works, as long as the driver is equipped. Music selections made on your phone quickly start playing through the driver’s app connected to the stereo, and there’s no data cost to the passenger or driver beyond the… Read More
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Lyft’s Former VP Of Ops Stephen Schnell Defects To Uber
Uber’s putting that $1.2 billion in funding to good use poaching execs from its top competitor. After hiring former Lyft COO Travis VanderZanden earlier this month, Uber has now scored Lyft’s former VP of Operations Stephen Schnell to work on international supply growth, according to Schnell’s LinkedIn. Bloomberg reporter Serena Saitto tweeted about the move earlier. Read More
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It’s Decision Day For Airbnb in San Francisco
Today, San Francisco’s board of supervisors is voting on how to legalize and regulate short-term rentals on platforms like Airbnb. It’s a critical moment for Airbnb because some of its most attractive and lucrative markets are in the world’s top-tier cities, many of which suffer from chronic housing shortages. San Francisco, which is currently embroiled in anti-eviction… Read More
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Hailo Launches API For E-Hailing On The Same Day As Uber
Not to be left behind in the growing feud between Uber, Lyft, Sidecar and others, Hailo has launched a public API for its taxi hailing service, on the very same day Uber announced its own. The startup, which launched in 2011 in London but has since expanded to various cities across the UK, London and Canada, originally dealt in standard taxis vs. Uber’s black car focus, but has since… Read More
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Uber’s API Launch Lights The Way For Sharing Economy Apps
Convincing users to join new collaborative consumption ventures can be a tall order, but Uber’s API launch today gives us a glimpse at how others building businesses along similar lines might be able to juice usage and find a lasting place in the virtual toolboxes of smartphone owners. The fact is that most of the so-called sharing economy apps offer services that complement other apps… Read More
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UberPool Lets You Split Uber Fares With Other Passengers Along The Same Route
In the ongoing war between Uber, Lyft, and all of the other me-too ride-sharing services, competitors are looking for any way they can better utilize their supply of drivers and reduce costs for their riders. Today, Uber is announcing UberPool, a new feature that will let you pick up other riders on the way to your destination and split the bill. Read More
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Metromile Launches Per-Mile Car Insurance That Could Save Californians 40%
Plug Metromile’s free gizmo into your car and you can stop overpaying for car insurance if you’re amongst the 70% of people who drive under 10,000 miles a year. Today Metromile expands its per-mile car insurance to California following success disrupting traditional insurance in Oregon, Washington, and Illinois. It’s also revamping its free app that can tell you if something… Read More
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Lyft Will Not Launch In New York Today, Company Says It Will Work With Taxi Commission
New Yorkers hoping to catch a ride with Lyft today are out of luck. The company said via email and on its blog that it’s putting off its NYC launch. Lyft had announced launch plans for Brooklyn and Queens earlier this week, and it said yesterday that it would move forward with those plans despite the fact that the city’s Taxi and Limousine Commission said the service did not… Read More
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