Getir acquires Gorillas; Google ‘eats’ Waze; Spin, Voi, Flink downsizing; and Lilium in the UK.

Getir acquires Gorillas, Via $170M in revenues, Uber and Ola vs. Indian regulation, Japanese mobility innovation map, Spin exits 10 US markets, Voi lets go of 13% of its European workforce, Deliveroo #1 in Italy, Flink exits Austria, Lilium into the UK, Apple car scales back, Sono in trouble, Google swallows Waze and France bans short flights in favour of train travel. Let’s start #movingpeople. 

Getir acquires Gorillas 💰📦

This week’s big news is the $1.2bn acquisition of Gorillas by Getir. This is not a surprise, as rumours have been circulating for weeks, but now this mega-consolidation is done. At their peak, Getir and Gorillas were valued at $11.8 billion and $3 billion respectively. Now, the combined company is valued at ±$10bn, with Gorillas, who raised $1.3bn so far, valued only at $1.2bn. Some Gorillas investors have very little to expect from the deal but Getir stocks, and the company’s CEO is expected to leave the company. There are market overlaps between the two companies, so a round of layoffs is expected soon. 

Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedRide-Hailing & Taxi, Buses & DRT  🚙🚐

Via’s CEO shares stats about the company: $170M in revenues, up from $11M in 2018; 650 contracts with 500 operators and companies; and over 1,000 employees. Via launches Remix Scheduling, providing transit agencies with a decision enabling scheduling tool.

A map of all publicly awarded projects by the Japanese Government within the Smart Mobility Challenge Initiatives since 2019 by Chamorro. A total of over 200 initiatives registered.

In Karnataka, India, the government is trying to impose price caps on ride-hailing commissions and to comply with measures such as installing GPS, enabling a panic button and a customer service centre,  a move objected to by Ola and Uber. The local government is threatening to take away licences. To be continued. 

Buser lays off 30% of staff; the company cites macroeconomic conditions and regulation challenges. FREE NOW partners with ELOOP, to offer car sharing through the FREE NOW app. Oxfordshire cancels DRT service and keeps traditional bus route. Zeelo wins award for a technology company’s achievement of CO2 reductions while maintaining growth. Free Now opens ‘Cabbie Cafe’ in Ireland, a place for taxi drivers to get a cup during the busy festive season. China eases on ride-hailing driver fines. 

A long read of ride-hailing effects on cities - the same bottom line as always - ride-hailing increases the numbers of cars on road and congestion, as it replaces other modes of public transport and has many dead millage associated with the service. 

Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedMicromobility 🚲🛴

Spin, Tier’s US subsidiary, exits 10 US cities citing low demand and unfavourable city regulation. These aren’t only small/medium markets, Spin is exiting markets such as Atlanta, LA and Miami. The company now operates in 70 markets across the U.S. Voi lays off 130 employees / 13% of its workforce across Europe. 

Berlin to allow e-scooters to park for free in car parking spaces and ban them from parking on pavements. Tier voiced concern over conflict with car drivers. Dott begins virtual reality testing for universal e-scooter sound, in order to reach a sound that increases awareness for these vehicles while not creating noise pollution. Bolt partners with Drover AI for scooter tech safety. 

Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedDelivery 🍽🧺

Italy’s food delivery market share, from January 2020 to today. Deliveroo #1 with 40% market share, followed by Just Eat with 33%, Glovo with 22% and UberEats with 6%. Deliveroo works with 21,000 restaurants across more than 1,000 Italian cities. 

Flink, quick-delivery company founded in Germany, filed for bankruptcy in Austria. The company has an estimated €22.4 in liabilities, and 163 employees are expected to be affected. 

¾ of Getir’s UK ±100 dark stores are operated by franchisees. Getir expects franchise holders to invest £140K-£205K, and to see a return on investment in 2-3 years. The model makes perfect sense from Getir’s perspective, as it shifts investments away from the company in these tough macroeconomic times; relieves the operational challenges of managing these dark stores; and also ties payments to delivery volumes. 

DoorDash Canada is changing its commission structure, to a three tiered system. A look at industry numbers: the basic plan charges 20% on deliveries / 10% pickups and has the smallest delivery radius; the ‘plus’ 25% / 8% respectively and access to Door Pass customers, at 27% commission; and the ‘premium’ is 29% / 8%. 

Uber Eats settles with Chicago, will pay $10M for listing restaurants without their consent and charging excess commision fees. Similar cases by Chicago are ongoing with GrubHub and DoorDash, as this was a common industry practice. $10M seems a small price to pay. 

GrubHub partners with Kiwibot to roll out more delivery robots on campuses. This is the 4th robot delivery company GrubHub has partnered with, and the 3rd on-going partnership. Walmart launches a same day delivery service for a Covid medication, on a 15-mile radius from stores, partnering with Uber and DoorDash. This is yet another example of retailers choosing to control the logistic chain up to the actual delivery process. Yango delivery launches in the UAE. Brentwood bans Deliveroo drivers from its high-street. Onomotion raises €21M to expand e-cargo bike urban logistics business.

Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedFlying cars 🚁

Lilium signs with eVolare, one of the U.K.’s largest helicopter and private jet operators, to enter the UK market. eVolare will manage sales and marketing activities to private individuals, also providing the infrastructure needed to operate and maintain vehicles. Lilium announced the launch of the ‘Pioneer Edition Jet’ model, to support sales to private individuals.  

Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedAutonomous 🤖

Apple’s car project had scaled back, with electric vehicles appearing not before 2026, and not in autonomous capacity. Uber-Motional robotaxis are now available to the public in Las Vegas, for now with safety drivers. 

Long read on the trouble autonomous vehicles are cursing in San Francisco: blocking traffic, driving on the sidewalk, speeding away from cops—and the cities and regulators are for now powerless to enforce.  

Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedManufacturers 🛺⚡

Einride raises $500M in debt ($300M) and equity series C ($200M). Funds will be used for growth and long term funding of fleets. Sono, a solar car maker, is in financial distress and is trying to generate pre-orders to keep afloat. 

Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedIn other news 📰

Google brings Waze into its Geo organisation (Maps, Street, Earth), ending the company’s independent division status after it acquired Waze back in 2013. If you’re reading international tech news, the move is aimed at cutting costs. If you're reading news originating from Israel, the move is portrayed as ‘killing’ Waze.

Yandex moves forward with Russian exit (escape), hiring an advisor with ties to Putin to help restructure the company to the Netherlands. Otonomo to lay off 80 employees / 40% of its workforce. The company, once worth $1.3bn, is now valued at $60M. 

The EU approves France’s short-haul flight ban — but only for 3 routes, and not 8 as proposed. The ban will enter into effect on routes that have a good direct train frequency and journey time of less than 2.5 hours.