Tag Archives: taxis

Waymo robotaxis are now officially available in Austin

Posted on March 8, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

If that’s the sort of thing you’re into. Uber will shift into a new gear in Austin, Texas, on Tuesday when its ride-hailing service will begin dispatching self-driving cars to pick up passengers. The autonomous option is being provided through … Continue reading →

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Lyft gets into the robotaxi business

Posted on February 12, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Of course they are. Ride-hail giant Lyft plans to bring fully autonomous robotaxis, powered by Mobileye, to its app “as soon as 2026” in Dallas, with more markets to follow, TechCrunch has exclusively learned. The news comes a day before … Continue reading →

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Uber teams up with Waymo in Austin

Posted on February 10, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Okay. Uber customers in Austin may notice a new offer when they open the app and hail a ride: an invitation to signal their interest in a Waymo robotaxi. For now, this doesn’t translate into a Waymo picking them up. … Continue reading →

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More on Tesla’s push for robotaxi service in Austin

Posted on February 4, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Always consider the source. Tesla Inc. fleshed out plans to launch a robotaxi business Elon Musk is counting on to help usher in next phase of growth, after the company posted quarterly earnings that missed estimates. The electric-car maker expects … Continue reading →

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Another flying taxi overview

Posted on January 18, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

As I’ve said before, every time I read a story about flying taxis, I learn something new. Flying taxis have made enough regulatory inroads with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration to result in the recent creation of a new aircraft … Continue reading →

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Tesla seeks permit for robotaxi service in Austin

Posted on January 12, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Who wants this? Tesla is in early talks with the authorities in the city of Austin, Texas, about its autonomous vehicle technology, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday. A Tesla employee has been in touch with the city’s autonomous vehicle task … Continue reading →

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RIP, Cruise robotaxis

Posted on December 13, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Didn’t see that coming. General Motors said Tuesday it will retreat from the robotaxi business and stop funding its money-losing Cruise autonomous vehicle unit. Instead, the Detroit automaker will focus on development of partially automated driver-assist systems for personal vehicles … Continue reading →

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Where to go to hail a flying taxi

Posted on December 8, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

To the vertiport, of course. Wisk Aero, an Advanced Air Mobility company and Boeing subsidiary aiming to bring self-flying air taxis to Southeast Texas by the end of the decade, has designed its potential initial routes for its service. A … Continue reading →

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A brief HCC update

Posted on November 13, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

There’s not a lot of non-election news happening right now, but there was this. Houston Community College officials are working to integrate virtual reality and more digital advances into every classroom and program by next fall, one of several goals … Continue reading →

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Watch out for Waymo

Posted on August 28, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

We’ve talked a lot about Cruise’s so far ill-fated attempt to do robotaxi service, mostly because it was briefly available in Houston (and may be again soon), but the most successful purveyor of such services out there has been Waymo. … Continue reading →

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A more in depth overview of electric flying taxis

Posted on June 30, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Good stuff here. When the electric air taxi revolution arrives, you probably won’t it hear coming. A remarkable feature of an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft is how quietly it flies, scarcely noticeable amid typical city traffic sounds. … Continue reading →

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Cruise returns to Houston

Posted on June 12, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

They’re baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack… Houston, we missed you! Today we’re resuming driving in Houston where we’ll build on the knowledge collected last year. We’ll start with human driven vehicles and move to supervised autonomous driving with a safety driver behind the wheel … Continue reading →

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A brief overview of flying taxis

Posted on May 31, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

This was written by the executive director of the Oklahoma Aerospace Institute for Research and Education, and it answers at least one of my questions about our flying taxi future. In the near term, once eVTOLs are certified to fly … Continue reading →

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A brief robotaxi update

Posted on April 16, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Cruise is back on the streets, but with human drivers for the time being. Cruise has announced that it’s resuming tests for its fleet of self-driving taxis in Phoenix, Arizona , though not with passengers just yet. The autonomous vehicle … Continue reading →

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How about a pilotless air taxi?

Posted on March 13, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Those are coming, too. Not as quickly and with fewer details now available, but it’s out there. Advanced Air Mobility company Wisk agreed to a deal with Sugar Land last week to bring pilotless air taxis to the Houston area. … Continue reading →

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Flying taxis coming to an airport near you

Posted on March 2, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Possibly in time for the FIFA World Cup. The Houston Airport System says they plan to bring air taxis to the area within the next two years, just in time for the FIFA World Cup in 2026. “Right now we’re … Continue reading →

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The state of robotaxis in 2024

Posted on February 29, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Good read. In 2023, it almost felt as if the promise of robotaxis was soon to be fulfilled. Hailing a robotaxi had briefly become the new trendy thing to do in San Francisco, as simple and everyday as ordering a … Continue reading →

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Another step forward for flying cars

Posted on December 31, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Excuse me, “air taxis”. Researchers are one step closer to integrating air taxis and other electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicles into the country’s busiest airports, thanks to a new air traffic simulation developed by NASA’s Ames Research Center … Continue reading →

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Flying cars update

Posted on July 23, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

They’re coming, part one. Aviation startup Alef Aeronautics recently received Federal Aviation Administration approval to test its flying car. Details: The all-electric “Model A” is designed to take off and land vertically, putting it in the emerging category of eVTOL — electric vertical … Continue reading →

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Here comes another rideshare company

Posted on October 14, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Seems like a less than optimal time to be expanding, but here we are. Alto, a new rideshare company based in Dallas, will roll into view in Houston as it looks to expand its reach and compete with Uber and … Continue reading →

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Three rideshare bills

Posted on February 7, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas A&M Transportation Institute Policy Center looks at the (first) three bills relating to ridesharing that have been filed in the Lege: Three bills have been filed so far in the 85th Texas Legislature, regular session, addressing transportation network … Continue reading →

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Council approves Uber deal

Posted on December 15, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

I’d forgotten about this. Uber will remain operating in Houston at least through the Super Bowl, after City Council approved changes to the city’s paid ride rules ironed out between the popular ride-hailing service and Mayor Sylvester Turner. Council members, … Continue reading →

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City reaches deal with Uber

Posted on November 17, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Mayor Sylvester Turner today announced a comprehensive strategy to streamline the City’s vehicle-for-hire licensing process to ensure that Uber remains in Houston and that Houstonians and visitors have as many transportation options as possible during the upcoming … Continue reading →

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Council approves city cab-hailing app development

Posted on October 10, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Here it comes. Houston residents soon will be able to hail a city cab via smartphone app, after City Council signed off on a plan Wednesday to consolidate dispatching in a single program. The Arro app, already operating in New … Continue reading →

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Other rideshare companies sued over lack of access for disabled people

Posted on October 2, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Noted for the record. A state disability rights group has sued the ride-hailing apps Get Me and Fare in federal court, arguing that because the apps only partially offer text-to-speech software, they are unusable for blind people and therefore in violation … Continue reading →

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The city cab app

Posted on September 20, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Meet Arro. Houston’s fractured taxi market is headed toward a rare bit of unity, with a push by the city toward how people hail cabs in the 21st century. As the taxi and limo industry adjusts to new ways of … Continue reading →

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How do other states regulate ridesharing?

Posted on September 2, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Legislature would like to know. As Texas lawmakers consider filing legislation next year related to ride-hailing companies, they learned Tuesday that more than 30 states have passed laws calling for some level of regulation of companies like Uber … Continue reading →

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Driverless taxis debut in Singapore

Posted on August 26, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Not fast enough, Uber. The world’s first self-driving taxis will be picking up passengers in Singapore starting Thursday. Select members of the public will be able to hail a free ride through their smartphones in taxis operated by nuTonomy, an … Continue reading →

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El Paso revises its rideshare rules

Posted on August 13, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Uber gets its preferred regimen. The El Paso City Council approved an ordinance designed to ease regulations and fees on taxis and ride-sharing companies like Uber. Amendments to the Transportation for Hire Ordinance, which Council approved unanimously on Tuesday, requires … Continue reading →

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Fort Worth adopts minimalist rideshare regulations

Posted on July 5, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

This ought to be interesting. Months of work redrafting the city’s vehicle-for-hire ordinance wrapped up Tuesday night when the Fort Worth Council approved new rules that require transportation companies only to register with the city. The approach chosen by Fort … Continue reading →

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PocketCab

Posted on June 19, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Austin isn’t the only city with rideshare innovation happening. Sugar Land-based PocketCab LLC plans to fill the potential void with a new dispatch app for taxi and limousine companies if Uber does decide to leave the Houston market. PocketCab works … Continue reading →

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What do we really want from rideshare regulations?

Posted on June 7, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

From Medium: To help ensure people have a fair chance at earning a living, Uber’s screening process embraces protections codified in the Fair Credit Reporting Act and other similar laws, ensuring lookback periods are reasonable and arrests without convictions or … Continue reading →

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RideAustin

Posted on May 26, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Another new player gets set to enter the Austin rideshare market. Adding to the growing number of ride-hailing options in Austin since Uber and Lyft’s wholesale evacuation, a new nonprofit, community-based app called RideAustin was introduced today at the Alamo … Continue reading →

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Austin rideshare referendum goes down

Posted on May 8, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Boom. Preliminary election day results in Austin show 56 percent of voters against Proposition 1, a ride-hailing ordinance supported by Uber and Lyft. With 76.76 percent reporting, 13,957 have voted against the ordinance and 10,901 have voted for. These numbers … Continue reading →

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