Mobility news and trends

Visa Says Adoption of Open-Loop Transit Payments Is at a Tipping Point Worldwide
Transportation // March 17, 2023

As transit systems move away from legacy payment methods like pay-as-you-go passes and toward contactless open-loop payments, it’s creating new commerce possibilities that not only benefit ridership and relieve urban congestion, but also promise greater financial inclusion. A study from the Visa Economic Empowerment Institute...

Competition Grows in Crowded European E-Scooter Market as US Players Flood In
Transportation // December 21, 2021

Competition in the European electric scooter (e-scooter) space continues to grow, as micromobility companies capitalize on new sustainability trends to lower greenhouse gas emissions and reduce motor traffic congestion in Europe’s densely populated cities. In addition, the pandemic has caused many individuals to avoid crowded...

Grab’s Q3 Results Show Bumpy Path to Super App Status as Asian Lockdowns Linger
Earnings // November 12, 2021

The old chestnut holds in business, especially for platform firms focused on building super apps: You’ve gotta spend money to make money. It’s not uncommon to see firms with strong top-line momentum to post red ink on the operating line, as all sorts of costs tied...

Autonomous Trains Make Tracks for Expansion of Connected Mobility
Transportation // November 05, 2021

Plans for autonomous trains and the connected artificial intelligence (AI) systems to operate them are getting ready to leave the station — if they haven’t already — as governments and the private sector move to improve aging railway systems amid the current supply chain crisis....

Interviews & Exclusives
Earnings Point to Different Routes for Lyft and Uber

May 08, 2024
Uber and Lyft bring to mind the oft-quoted Robert Frost poem. You know the one — about two roads that diverged. The rest of the poem is about the woods, the path not taken … but more than a century after its publication, it proves apt for online platforms, for the digital age. Uber and […]

Visa Says Adoption of Open-Loop Transit Payments Is at a Tipping Point Worldwide

March 17, 2023
As transit systems move away from legacy payment methods like pay-as-you-go passes and toward contactless open-loop payments, it’s creating new commerce possibilities that not only benefit ridership and relieve urban...

Inside The Race For Flying-Taxi Liftoff

September 12, 2019
This might still sound like science fiction to many people, but the race for flying-taxi dominance is on and is gaining fresh fuel as the new decade looms. The results...

Can Lime’s Safety Push Attract More Bike, Scooter Users?

November 08, 2018
Scooters are so retro that they are almost brand new. That might seem, from certain angles, a decent problem to have: A mode of transportation often associated with the same...

Quick Reads
European Mobility Platform Bolt Notches €100M Investment

May 26, 2020
With funding that will help keep growing its product categories from ridesharing to food delivery and micro-mobility in Africa as well as Europe, Bolt closed a €100m investment round. Naya Capital Management, the investment manager that Masroor Siddiqui started in 2012, made the investment, according to an announcement. Bolt CEO Markus Villig said in the […]

Lime Announces eScooter, Bike Subscriptions

December 17, 2019
To let everyday scooter users and commuters gain the most from their micro-mobility, Lime has announced the rollout of a new subscription offering. LimePass will be released in cities across...

Egyptian Transit App Swvl Plans Global Expansion

November 12, 2019
Egyptian mobility startup Swvl will be expanding into the Philippines, Indonesia and Bangladesh by the end of 2020. Launched in Egypt in 2017, Swvl operates buses along fixed routes, with...

Israeli Startup Waycare Lands $7.25M For AI-Powered Traffic Improvements

October 04, 2019
Mobility platform Waycare announced that it has raised $7.25 million in Series A funding. The round was led by SJF Ventures, with participation from UpWest, Next Gear Ventures, innogy, Spider...