Welcome to the 2nd edition of our bi-weekly recap of the latest and greatest in connected and on-demand mobility. Our goal was 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.
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 particularly impacted by COVID-19.
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Lyft, Amazon team up as rideshare plummets amid coronavirus shutdown Daily News, March 27th Amazon.com is teaming up with Lyft on recruiting the ride-hailing company’s drivers to deliver packages and groceries as the pandemic keeps people indoors.

Toyota partners with China’s Momenta to commercialize HD maps for self-driving vehicles Benzinga, March 18th Toyota Motor Corporation has partnered with Beijing-based artificial intelligence startup Momenta to commercialize its high definition road map for automated vehicles, the Nikkei Asian Review reported Wednesday.

Uber considers med delivery as ridership plummets Pymnts, March 19th Uber has been hit especially hard by the coronavirus pandemic, with rides down as much as 70 percent in places like Seattle. The company has reportedly been looking into other avenues to make money, including the potential delivery of medical supplies, according to a report.

The ride hailing industry is getting turned on its head by coronavirus  CNN Business, March 27th Just days after President Donald Trump announced earlier this month that all travel from Europe to the United States would be temporarily suspended due the coronavirus pandemic, a Dallas-based rideshare startup called Alto started seeing a steep drop in demand for rides.

Arlington gets $1.7M for Via Rideshare to provide free rides for UTA, integrate autonomous vehicles Dallas Morning News, March 27th The City of Arlington recently received an almost $1.7M Integrated Mobility Innovation grant from the Federal Transit Administration to add autonomous vehicles to its Via Rideshare fleet.

Vehicle subscription plans evolve amid challenges Wards Auto, March 25th People will keep buying and leasing vehicles, “but subscription services will find a place,” predicts Vince Zappa of Clutch Technologies.

Rideshare Org protects health, patient access during COVID-19 Patient Engagement Hit, March 20th Ride Health will make it easier for drivers to know if they have potentially contacted a patient with COVID-19, a step in preserving rideshare for patient access to care.

Evo vehicles only for ‘essential trips’ now, car share company says CTV News, March 25th Evo users are being asked to limit their use of the car sharing vehicles to “essential trips” until the COVID-19 pandemic is under control.

Instacart grocery delivery workers seek strike as jobs become riskier NY Post, March 29th A possible strike by Instacart workers highlights the impact of the coronavirus outbreak on the grocery delivery business, where workers are worried about their safety as they try to meet a surge in demand for online groceries.

Food delivery services you can use during coronavirus pandemic USA Today, March 23rd As working from home and social distancing have become the new normal because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, it’s changed how we’re able to buy groceries and how we’re able to get food from our favorite restaurants. With restaurants switching to take-out only, many of us are turning to food delivery services to avoid leaving the house and entering crowded grocery stores just to make dinner.

New rules could finally clear the way for self-driving cars Wired, March 26th For the first time, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is weighing in on autonomous vehicles with no driver behind the wheel—or no wheel at all.

Despite setbacks, coronavirus could hasten the adoption of autonomous vehicles and delivery robots Venture Beat, March 20th This week, nearly every major company developing autonomous vehicles in the U.S. halted testing in an effort to stem the spread of COVID-19, which has sickened more than 250,000 people and killed over 10,000 around the world. Still some experts argue pandemics like COVID-19 should hasten the adoption of driverless vehicles for passenger pickup, transportation of goods, and more.