Self-Driving Cars Don’t Need Uber, They Need Digital Cash

Uber Technologies Inc. announced its self-driving cars in February 2015, and has now hired two top vehicle security researchers to work on developing the cars at the company’s Advanced Technologies Center, a research laboratory Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It appears that Uber is spending some of its vast war chest on a new facility that could pave the way for self-driving cars to join its fleet of taxis. The two high-profile talents who have been hired are Charlie Miller and Chris Valasek. Miller previously worked at Twitter, while Valasek worked at IOActive, a security firm. The duo first....

Former Uber driver and Vugo cofounder James bellefeuille has launched a Vugo bitcoin tipping service for Uber drivers, to enable customers to tip the drivers using bitcoin, instead of cash. Uber, American international transportation Network Company currently valued at US$ 50 billion by the Wall Street Journal and many Venture Capital Firms worldwide, has always had unresolved issues with its drivers - tipping. The billion dollar network has never enabled its drivers to accept tips through its app, which became a significant disadvantage for its drivers. Especially now, that most of Uber's....

Uber reported losses of over $1.2 billion during the first six months of 2016, indicating a changing ridesharing landscape. This massive shortfall, according to Uber’s head of finance Gautam Gupta, is caused by driver subsidies. In an effort to maintain its top position while still offering competitive pricing to customers, the ridesharing giant has reportedly spent at least $1 billion in China alone in subsidies for drivers. Investor speculation concludes that Uber is pursuing a “grow first, ask questions later” model, seeking to secure total market dominance before pivoting to....

As of right now, the Uber taxi service app does not have a feature that allows people to tip their drivers electronically. Uber drivers have been complaining about only being able to receive tips in cash for quite a while. In-car advertising company Vugo now meets their demand with a new feature, called “Tip your driver.” Uber is a taxi service app that connects drivers and passengers. The app uses a smartphone’s GPS functionality to find a driver that is nearby, even if the passenger does not know the address they are at. The service is very quick and hassle-free. Because of this, the....

The city of Portsmouth, New Hampshire passed an ordinance regulating ride-sharing services that took effect in September of 2015. The ordinance made driving with Uber and other ride-sharing companies illegal within the city limits. Christopher David, a former Uber driver, launched the Free Uber campaign using Bitcoin prize pools to incentivize activism protesting the ordinance. Now, in the wake of protests by Uber drivers over the company’s decision to cut fares, David is launching his own blockchain-based ride-sharing platform, Arcade City. To promote the new platform, he and nine other....