Welcome to the first edition of our bi-weekly recap of the latest and greatest in connected and on-demand mobility. Our goal is to create a one-stop newsletter to give you updates in what’s happening in the world of shared / on-demand / connected / AV / MaaS / mobility transportation.

We realize this is a difficult time with many industries impacted by COVID-19, especially those surrounding travel and transportation. While we still intend to focus on our goal of sharing mobility news with you, we feel it’s important to also share information on how these industries are affected and how they choose to react to the current state of affairs.

We at Aioi Insurance Services USA, are a full service insurtech agency focusing on the future of transportation, and the surrounding infrastructure. This is what we find fascinating, and we hope you do, too. 

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Uber and Lyft drivers in NYC, concerned by coronavirus, say apps aren’t helping enough Curbed New York, March 13th Concerns over contracting or spreading the novel coronavirus have changed how New Yorkers get around—and, according to Uber and Lyft drivers, present serious challenges to their income and livelihood.

Lyft buys Halo Cars, a startup founded by four Penn students in 2018 The Daily Pennsylvanian, March 3rd Lyft Inc. has bought Halo Cars, a startup founded by three Penn students and one Penn graduate, that pays drivers to display digital advertisements on top of their vehicles.

California’s hydrogen car share programme gets five more vehicles H2-View, March 12th StratosShare, a shared-vehicle programme of StratosFuel, allows users to rent hydrogen fuel cell vehicles on-demand by hour or day through a smartphone app.

AAA will be the latest to try car-sharing service in Seattle  MyNorthwest, March 2nd AAA Washington is launching its own app-based, car-rental service in Seattle this spring. GIG Car Share, based in Northern California, will start with 250 Toyota Prius Hybrid cars with bike racks landing on the streets of Seattle in April 2020.

Rideshare drivers see less passengers amid COVID-19 fears KCRA, March 13th As coronavirus cases rise, rideshare drivers said requests have fallen.

Uber suspends pooled rides in U.S., Canada to limit coronavirus spread Reuters, March 17th Uber Technologies Inc on Tuesday began suspending shared rides on its ride-hailing platform in the United States and Canada to limit the spread of the coronavirus.

Car-sharing companies could see rules loosened in Toronto The Star, March 11th Less than two years after the popular Car2Go service pulled out of Toronto, the city is moving toward relaxing the rules around operating car-share services.

Uber Health unveils consumer-centered medical rideshare Patient Engagement Hit, March 4th Uber Health is installing five new features that fit with consumer-centered healthcare and aim to improve medical rideshare for patients.

UPS to start testing autonomous vehicles at London hub in 2020 Smart Transport, March 17th UPS will start testing the autonomous functionality of Gaussin electric vehicle trailers at its London advanced technology depot later this year.

Waymo’s next-generation self-driving system can ‘see’ a stop sign 500 meters away The Verge, March 4th Waymo unveiled its fifth-generation self-driving system Wednesday, which the Alphabet-owned company claims can see farther and more accurately than its previous four versions.

Uber developing kids transportation service Fox Business, March 10th The ride-hailing app has been reportedly developing an “Uber for kids” service for picking up and dropping off unaccompanied children, according to The Information citing an unnamed source with knowledge of the proposal.

Uber resumes self-driving vehicle tests in San Francisco Governing, March 12th Uber has resumed testing of robot cars in San Francisco, Calif., two years after one caused a fatal accident in Arizona.

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