Uber has announced that it will acquire Drizly, an alcohol delivery service that offers on-demand access to adult beverages in hundreds of markets across the US. The Drizly platform itself won't be going away, but Uber notes that in the future, it will integrate the alcohol delivery platform with its own Uber Eats delivery service.
Uber and Joby Aviation just announced a deal that included an acquisition, "expanded partnership", and $75 million dollars. Uber will invest "a further $75 million" more than they'd previously invested in the aviation company - they'd previously invested $50 million as part of Joby's Series C financing round in the first month of 2020.
Uber is washing its hands of its self-driving division, with the ride-hailing company throwing in the towel on the autonomous project as it swaps the tech for a minority stake in Aurora. It's an end to what has proved to be one of the most controversial attempts to get humans out from behind the steering wheel, and will see Uber and its partners hold 40-percent of the Amazon and Sequoia-backed autonomy startup.
Precious artificial scarcity, the McDonalds McRib knows you so well! McDonalds revealed details about the 2020 McRib launch today with a tip on how massive their launch will be. This, a moment to remember in the history of extruded pork-adjacent foods, will be one to remember. Not only will this be the first time since 2012 that the McRib is launched nationwide (in the United States), it'll also be the first time many consumers are able to get the McRib delivered directly to their front door.
Uber has announced an expansion of its Uber Health service that adds prescription drug deliveries, giving consumers a new way to get their medication without leaving home. This new offering involves Uber Direct, which was introduced back in April, in conjunction with the NimbleRx prescription delivery platform. Uber plans to expand the availability of its medication delivery option into additional markets in the near future.
![Lyft will quit California ride-hailing tonight [Update: emergency reprieve]](https://www.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Lyft_180801_DAX_26_rgb-1280x720.jpg)
Lyft is suspending its rideshare business in California today, as the battle between local politicians and Lyft and Uber over driver employment escalates. As of 11:59PM PT, Lyft has confirmed, you'll no longer be able to summon a ride from your phone. Uber is believed to be preparing for the same deadline.
Following a trial period in several cities, Uber has announced that its Uber Pass membership is rolling out to users across the United States, with the exception of California. This membership is ideal for consumers who regularly use Uber's ridesharing and food delivery services, offering them various perks like ride savings and free delivery for grocery and meal orders.
The COVID-19 pandemic has vastly increased the demand for delivery services, particularly grocery delivery. Uber sees a chance to capitalize on that increased demand, announcing today that it's introducing grocery delivery in certain regions of North America. Uber is doing grocery delivery in a partnership with Cornershop, and at first, it'll only be available in "select cities" in Latin America and Canada.
With the COVID-19 pandemic, we've seen a large uptick in demand for home delivery. For weeks, restaurants in many regions of the country were limited to take out and delivery orders, and if coronavirus cases keep increasing in the US, they may be limited to those options once more. Services like Uber Eats, Postmates, and Door Dash have been in high demand in recent weeks, and soon, two of those companies will be joining forces.
Following a successful pilot of the feature, Uber is introducing 'Hourly' in several cities in the United States. The feature, as its name suggests, enables Uber riders to request cars on an hourly basis rather than per-ride. This feature will be easier for riders who need to make multiple stops, go to the grocery store, and other occasions in which multiple rides would otherwise be necessary.
Days after competitor Lyft made a similar announcement, ride-hailing company Uber has detailed the requirements it is about to implement for riders, ones that will remain in effect during the coronavirus pandemic. The rules are designed to help protect both drivers and riders from potentially contracting the virus during a ride, the numbers of which are expected to increase in the coming weeks as more cities start to loosen their lockdown restrictions.
Uber has approved a new policy that will require all of its drivers in certain countries to wear face masks, according to a new leak. The sources claim that Uber is developing a new type of technology that monitors drivers to ensure they're wearing the masks as instructed; Uber confirmed such plans but didn't elaborate on the system. It wouldn't be the first time the company has used tech to monitor its drivers.