UBER UPDATE INTL
and a second round of compensation is not out of the ques- tion. This isn't the first time theQuebec gov- ernment has demon- strated commitment to taxi drivers. Last year it allocated $44 million for taxi drivers to modernise their businesses with up-to-date technolo- gy, access to electric cars and improved accessibility for cus- tomers with disa- bilities. The pro- gramme was initially financed by Uber's fees paid to the Land Transport Network Fund. "The implementation of these measures demonstrates that we are listening to the needs of the taxi industry. Today, we reiterate our commitment to this industry to provide the necessary support to continue its modernisation and position itself in the new 21st centu- ry Quebec," André Fortin, Minister of Transport, Sustainable Mobility and Transportation Electrification, told reporters at the announcement in December 2017 So far, Quebec is the only province in Canada compensating its taxi industry.
Taxis block the streets for their protest against Uber in Montreal in October 2016
DRIVERS IN DENMARK MUST PAY FINE FOR RIDES
The Danish Supreme Court last month ratified fines given to four Uber drivers for operating illegally, paving the way for similar fines on a further 1,500 drivers. Channel News Asia reports that the four taxi drivers, one of whom was fined 486,500 Danish crowns (c.£58,000), were charged with failing to have permits and for violating a law introduced to combat Uber which imposed extra rules on taxis operating in Denmark. After launching its service in Denmark in 2014, Uber Technologies Inc was criticised by taxi driver unions, companies and politicians who said the company posed unfair competition by not meeting legal standards required for established taxi firms. “We are very disappointed for the drivers involved and our top pri- ority is to support them during this difficult time,” an Uber spokeswoman said. “We are changing the way we do business and are operating in line with local laws across Europe, connecting with professionally licensed drivers,” she said. The landmark case means the police can issue a fine for each indi- vidual ride made by Uber’s more than 1,500 drivers in the country between 2014 and 2017. A spokesman for the Copenhagen police said it would assess the verdict and decide how to proceed. Parliament passed a law in February 2017 which re-established that requirements on taxis, such asmandatory faremeters and seat sen- sors, would have to be respected. Uber has said the new law prompted its withdrawal from Denmark last year. The company has previously said it would pay any fine given to its drivers, according to Danish newspaper Berlingske.
OCTOBER 2018
TOYOTA TO INVEST $500M IN UBER IN DRIVERLESS CAR DEAL
Japanese carmaker Toyota is to invest £387m in Uber and expand a partnership to jointly develop self-driving cars. BBC News reports that the firm said this would involve the “mass production” of autonomous vehicles that would be de- ployed on Uber’s ride sharing network. It is being viewed as a way for both firms to catch up with rivals in the competitive driverless car market. The deal also values Uber at some $72bn, despite its mounting losses. That is up 15 per cent since its last investment in May but matches a previous valuation in February. According to a press release issued by the firms, self-driving tech- nology from each company will be integrated into purpose-built Toyota vehicles. The fleet will be based on Toyota’s Sienna Minivan model with pilot trials beginning in 2021. Shigeki Tomoyama, executive vice president of Toyota Motor Cor- poration, said: “This agreement and investmentmarks an important milestone in our transformation to a mobility company as we help provide a path for safe and secure expansion of mobility services such as ride-sharing.” Both Toyota and Uber are seen as lagging behind in developing self-driving cars, as firms such as Waymo, owned by Alphabet, steam ahead. Uber has also scaled back its self-driving trials after a fatal crash in Tempe, Arizona, in March, when a self-driving Uber SUV killed a pedestrian. Since then, the ride-hailing giant has removed its autonomous cars from the road and closed its Arizona operations. The BBC’s North America technology reporter Dave Lee analysed the deal as follows: Uber’s troubled self-driving car efforts are in need of external help, and this deal with Toyota might provide that expertise. It’s of course a terrific opportunity for Toyota, too. It was reported earlier this month that Uber was sinking around $1m-$2m into its autonomy work every single day. The results of that effort have not been something to be proud of - one fatal crash, one very expensive lawsuit, and not a lot of self-driving com- pared to the leader in this sector, Waymo. Sharing the burden, and R&D cost, will delight Uber’s investors as it aims for its initial public offering next year. Meanwhile, shares in Toyota spiked at reports of the deal. Not sur- prising. Many analysts think personal car ownership will drop dramatically when the self-driving, ride-sharing future is fully upon us - with major companies instead purchasing enormous fleets of vehicles. Toyota, then, may have just secured its biggest ever cus- tomer. The deal extends an existing relationship with Toyota, and furthers Uber’s strategy of developing autonomous driving technology through partnerships. The US firm has also teamed up with Daimler, which hopes to own and operate its own self-driving cars on Uber’s network. Revenue from its taxi business is rising but the cost of expansion into new areas such as bike sharing and food delivery has meant losses have grown rapidly.
Japanese carmaker Toyota is to invest £387m in Uber
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