Lyft - News, Features, and Slideshows

News

• No need to tighten rules on self-driving cars

  Arizona officials said on Tuesday they do not see an immediate need to tighten rules on the testing of self-driving cars in the state in reaction to a fatal accident involving an Uber autonomous vehicle.

• The Upload: Your tech news briefing for Monday, July 20

  Samsung rolls out thin, light Galaxy Tab S2... drones do good, evil... hacked data from site for cheaters splashed online... and more tech news.

• Massachusetts examining how Uber, Lyft cater to the disabled

  The Massachusetts attorney general's office has launched an examination into how Uber and Lyft cater to people with disabilities, potentially creating more regulatory problems for the ride-hailing companies.

• Lyft to pay $300,000, make insurance changes in settlement with New York

  Lyft has agreed to pay the state of New York $300,000 to settle claims that it is running a for-hire livery service in violation of state and municipal laws.

• Lyft turns to Verizon for an edge against Uber

  Lyft is looking to better compete against larger rival Uber through a partnership with Verizon Wireless.

• Massachusetts drafts regulations for car-hailing services like Uber, Lyft

  Drivers for Web-based, ride-hailing services in Massachusetts would be subject to criminal background checks by the state and their company if a bill unveiled Friday by the state's governor becomes law.

• Lyft raises $530 million in latest funding round

  Lyft has raised US$530 million in its latest funding round, and plans to use the money to beef up its IT staff, expand its footprint and boost existing services.

• Uber and Lyft fail to convince judges their drivers are merely 'contractors'

  Drivers for Uber Technologies and Lyft scored partial victories Wednesday in two lawsuits in which the companies seek to classify them as contractors rather than employees, and therefore not entitled to protections under California labor law.

• Uber, Lyft, Sidecar asked by US lawmakers to use fingerprint checks of drivers

  Eight members of the U.S. Congress have asked Uber Technologies, Lyft and Sidecar Technologies to adopt fingerprint-based background checks of their drivers, describing the procedure as "more comprehensive and harder to fake."

• The Best (and Worst) GPS Navigation Apps

  While doing research for a new article on why GPS-based directions consistently seem to lead me astray, I asked a group of people who use and own GPS apps and personal navigation devices (PNDs) for products they recommend, as well as insight into the current state of GPS technology. Here are some of their likes, dislikes and other general observations about the market.

• Heroku Enterprise launches, bringing Salesforce's app platform to the business

  Today, Salesforce goes all-in on its vision of shiny, responsive, fast apps for every business with the launch of Heroku Enterprise, which takes the core platform-as-a-service and adds more features to make it accessible to the enterprise. 

• Sidecar doubles down on delivery service

  Car-hailing app Sidecar is trying to make further inroads into same-day deliveries.

• Uber, Lyft face licensing regulations in Massachusetts

  Regulations for ride-hailing companies like Uber and Lyft are coming down the road in Massachusetts.

• Google, Facebook, Apple spent record amounts on lobbying in 2014

  The tech industry's most influential companies spent record amounts of money on federal lobbying in 2014 despite a general drop in lobbying by most tech companies. The spending was often directed at areas away from the central business of technology, and it indicates how diverse and powerful major tech companies are becoming.

• Need a ride? 3 ridesharing and 2 taxi apps considered

  The time to pick a ridesharing app for your phone isn't when it's dark and cold, there aren't any cabs to be had and you realize you'd really like a ride home. The time to download one is well before you need it.