Framing The Debate Around Congestion Pricing
Bolt heads to North America, delivery bots come to Jersey City & Miami
Yesterday as I caught the breaking news that the Trump Administration was attempting to illegally kill off NYC’s new congestion pricing program, I couldn’t help but notice the way the story was being framed.
The subhead at the New York Times read “President Trump had raised concerns that the new tolling program, the first of its kind in America, was drawing visitors and businesses away from Manhattan.”
What a terribly inept way to present the story. (So bad, in fact, it’s since been revised.) Beyond the fact that at this point it makes no sense to give credence to the word of an administration that lies for fun, it’s worth remembering that 1.) congesting pricing is not novel — there are both congestion charges across the country, and congestion cordons around the world. 2.) the data shows that foot traffic hasn’t fallen and is in fact up. And 3.) the current admin both has dumbfounding conflicts of interest in the NYC region and a terrifying interest in battering blue states and technocrats just for the heck of it.
Obviously this goes beyond just congestion pricing. Keep framing and narrative in mind, next time NPR refers to DOGE as a mere “cost cutting program” despite it undermining parts of the government that make money. Or think about who’s standing up for free speech when media organizations are being punished for not using the President’s preferred terminology.
America prospered for centuries thanks to strong institutions, norms and laws… “Long live the King” indeed.
MEET CURBIVORE’S LATEST PARTNERS — JOIN US 4/10-11
The curb world comes together April 10th and 11th in Downtown LA. Meet the latest mobility and delivery leaders joining the festivities: Gridwise, Nexar, Coco, Fernhay, Strut & Starship.
HOT INDUSTRY NEWS & GOSSIP
Restarting the ridehail wars? Bolt, Europe’s homegrown response to Uber, is headed deeper into North America. The mobility and delivery super-app is launching in the Toronto region. It’ll go by the moniker “Hopp,” the same brand it used for its new scooter play in D.C.
Startup ups: Circuit raises $17M Series B for electric, last-mile shuttles, led by MKB. Fetii closes $7.35M seed round for group ridehailing. Lime says gross bookings reached $810M, Adjusted EBITDA topped $140M, as it preps for IPO.
Startups down: Turo pulled its long-simmering IPO plans, after about three years of updating its S1-A. As you’ve seen in my regular updates, the company is mildly profitable but growth has decelerated. My guess is that they’ll use this window to pour some money back into growth marketing, hope that the IPO market thaws, and then restart the roadshow once they can show stronger top-line growth once more. Meanwhile, Nikola filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, as yet another mobility SPAC was done in by a simple case of “not having a viable business model.”
New York State of Mind: Outdoor dining ain’t looking too pretty in the Big Apple, after NYC rewrote the rules for roadway cafes last year. Once upon a time the city had thousands, adding life to the streets; so far this year local officials have only granted 40 permits. Governance is only going to get rougher, as four Deputy Mayors have just resigned, in the wake of Mayor Adams quid pro quo with the Trump Administration. Chief among the departing technocrats is Meera Joshi, Deputy Mayor of Operations, who was also heading up the new Department of Sustainable Delivery initiative.
Has America hit peak SUV? God I hope so…
Robots head east! First Avride brought its delivery bots to the snowy streets of Jersey City. Now Serve Robotics is headed to sunny Miami, teaming up with Uber Eats, Shake Shack and Mister 01 Extraordinary Pizza.
Lyft talks AVs: Fresh from his tie-ups with Mobileye, Nexar and May Mobility, Lyft CEO David Risher presses his case for why the Pink Mustache is well positioned to win the AV wars. He believes the company’s experience in asset financing, fleet management, marketplaces, and rider demand generation will prove more beneficial than the costly efforts to develop and own the autonomous vehicle hardware. If you share his vision, the company is currently on the hunt for a “Senior Manager of Business Operations & Strategy, Lyft Autonomous.”
Tariffs are stupid! New economic research proves out that tariffs have a negative effect on domestic employment. Looking at the early 2000s steel tariffs enacted by President Bush, economist Lydia Cox found that there were more job losses among U.S. steel users than there were gains from U.S. steel manufacturers. Doy.
Good government at work: Portland releases RFI for “Micro-Delivery Hub Pilot in a City-Owned Parking Garage.” Michigan Mobility Funding Platform offers $50-200k grants for mobility pilots and testing. LA Metro breaks ground on elevating its G Line busway through the SFV, improving travel times. The new Van Nuys station will also serve as the transfer point for the East San Fernando Valley Light Rail Transit Project, which is now in pre-construction.
A few good links: Uber switches to daily fees for Indian rickshaw market, with commission model under pressure from local rivals. Hiring board for laid off USDOT staffers. Rivian’s federal EV plant loan in trouble. Get your Curbivore tickets! Hayden AI brings automated bus lane enforcement to Sactown. Uber campaigns to reform personal injury laws. Fuel usage in China falls thanks to more EVs, less economic activity. Join our friends at the OMF for a Denver mixer, 2/26.
Get your Curbivore tickets!
- Jonah Bliss & The Curbivore Crew