Neowin

Lyft is preparing to lay off more than 1,000 employees in a mission to cut costs and become profitable. This represents a 30% cut in staff numbers. Employees will hear more next Thursday.

Lyft has announced that David Risher will take over as CEO of the company on April 17. He has leadership experience from Amazon and Microsoft. The CEO and President will chair the board of directors.

Uber has launched its own media division, with which it plans to sell advertisement space inside its ride hailing and food delivery apps, as well as during rides and even on top of cars.

Uber has been given a 30-month license by Transport for London to operate in the UK's capital city. The two parties have been arguing over the license for five years now as TfL had concerns.

Uber has made an agreement to integrate New York City's yellow taxi cabs on its app starting summer this year. The deal also marks the end of the rivalry between Uber and the yellow taxis of NYC.

Didi Chuxing, the Chinese ride-hailing app, has filed to go public with the U.S. SEC. It's expected that the company will be publicly listed on the NYSE and Nasdaq as soon as July.

Ola has said it's launching a vaccine push in the geographies it operates in to help its employees and their dependents get vaccinated against the coronavirus which has shut the world down.

Uber and Lyft have established a mechanism in the U.S. to share lists of banned drivers who were kicked off of one of the services for serious violations so they can be kept off the other platform.

Uber is launching a new feature that will permit customers to reserve scheduled rides up to 30 days in advance. Starting next week, the feature will be available in more than 20 U.S. cities.

A judge has awarded Uber a London operating license after a multi-year struggle against Transport for London. Drivers for the platform now have more job security until the license needs renewing.

Uber will find out in less than two weeks as to whether it will be able to continue operating in London. A judge will decide whether or not the firm should be granted an operating license on Sept. 28.

Lyft is incentivizing users to vote on the election day by offering discounted rides. For the first time, the "Ride to Vote" initiative includes bikes and scooters in select cities.

The People's Bank of China has reached an agreement with ride-hailing firm Didi Chuxing to integrate digital yuan payments in a bid to test it before bringing it to the wider Chinese economy.

Using the new feature, riders can select the amount of time that the trip should take, which would calculate a flat fare for the duration of the ride. The option will cost $50 per hour.

These safety rules are meant to protect riders and drivers during the coronavirus pandemic, with both being required to wear face masks. Rule-breakers will be barred from the platform, the firm said.

Drivers, who've had their wages drop significantly due to the lockdowns, can earn money by making contact-less deliveries, which include meals, groceries, medical supplies among other necessities.

The company announced the Work Hub though its website for placement of its out-of-work drivers who have seen colossal losses in income due to lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ola has announced measures to assist drivers affected by the coronavirus. The measures include a fund that will see drivers paid their average daily income for the 14-day self-isolation period.

The ride-hailing companies Uber and Ola said that they were suspending all ride options in the Indian capital after a government-imposed lockdown went into effect earlier on Monday.

The company announced a new initiative in which it will deliver food and medical supplies during the pandemic. Moreover, the company's founders will be donating their salaries to help drivers.

The ride-hailing firm, Ola, has launched in London. Seeing Uber's experience, Ola is putting safety and driver support first and foremost. The firm is offering perks for those who sign up early.

The California State Assembly is one step closer to passing a new bill which will make it legally obligatory for companies in the gig economy to recognize their workers as employees.

Uber has rolled out Check Your Ride notifications for users all around the world in a bid to boost people's safety. They were already released in the U.S. earlier this year following a death.

Lyft is expanding its Grocery Access Program to 14 more cities across the United States and Canada, offering families living in food deserts cheaper transportation to grocery stores.

Uber has just launched Uber Rewards, a scheme that gives perks to loyal customers. The program will roll out to nine cities around the United States before coming to everyone in the country.

Starting next year, Grab's customers in the Philippines and Singapore will be able to pay at any online and offline merchant using a prepaid card, courtesy of the firm's tie-up with Mastercard.

Anthony Foxx, former Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation under the Obama administration, will serve as Lyft's chief policy officer and adviser to the company's founders.

The Independent Workers Union of Great Britain has called on Uber drivers in London, Birmingham, and Nottingham to hold a 24-hour strike against the company over what they claim as workers' rights.

SoftBank reportedly wants to invest $500 million in Grab as part of the ride-hailing firm's latest funding that seeks to raise $1 billion. The deal is supposed to be finalized in a few weeks.

Starting this week, you'll be able to use your voice to ask Google Assistant to book a ride for you with a wide selection of ride-hailing services. You can also pick a ride service.

The Indian ride-hailing firm, Ola, has said it will launch its services in Britain from September. Ola will be going up against Uber which it is already competing with in Australia.

The ride-hailing company is testing a new feature that will let users know when prices are lower and schedule a ride for that time. Only some Uber employees have access to the feature for now.

Uber and SoftBank look to be on the verge of penning an investment deal. SoftBank is looking to invest up to $9 billion in the ride hailing firm. SoftBank said that no agreement has been made yet.

One of Uber's main rivals, Lyft, has decided to expand out of the United States for the first time. Next month, people from Toronto will be able to use the ride hailing service. Pricing isn't known.