Few publications have their fingers on the pulse of new mobility quite like Zag Daily. In just the past month, the UK-based publisher has tracked the rise of the robotaxi market, covered the launch of inventive new micromobility options like the Otherlab solar-powered Lightfoot, and has closely covered the eVTOL industry’s rocky descent. Add in some great op-eds and interviews, and you can see why we’re often linking out to their site.
That’s why I really enjoyed today’s interview, where Zag’s Editor Ben Hubbard stopped by (at 29:20) to discuss his high level view of what’s gone right and what’s gone wrong with the overall state of new mobility on both sides of the Atlantic. He also offered up some actionable advice for startups entering the space, including how to make your press pitch stand out in his crowded inbox.
Greg and I also get into the week’s news, diving in on juicy topics like Uber’s very Xmas-y feature launch, cyber weekend sales stats, the sad state of Fisker, and our favorite stories from the past year. This is our last episode of The Courier for the season, but expect us to be back in action in 2025 — please pitch us on guest recommendations!
2024 IN REVIEW — WHAT A YEAR…
2024 has been quite the wild year for mobility, delivery and the curb, and The Curbivore has been fully along for the ride. This will be the last edition until sometime in the new year (TMI — but I’ve got a baby due any day now!) so what better time than now to recap some of the most interesting stories from the past 12 months?
Starting the year off right, Yonah Freemark dropped in for an interview on how transportation agencies can avoid the fiscal cliff doom loop.
In February, Uber released its financial results, with its first full year profitability serving as a major milestone for the new mobility sector.
Shortly thereafter, LA voters said yes to Measure HLA, showing that everyday folks want multimodal streets and safe, accessible curbs.
In late March, we of course had Curbivore 2024 — check out some event photos, our sizzle reel and panel recordings.
After a quick breather, two of Seattle’s ace policymakers sat down to share how the city’s closely watched gig work laws came to be.
In June, Zipline and Wing made it seem like drone delivery could finally be more than a pipe dream.
I tore open the S-1 for Fly-E Group in July, breaking down the numbers for how e-bike brands can crack profitability.
Then Ali Hamriti of Rollee shared how better credit underwriting could make all the difference for gig workers (and the firms that pay them.)
Here’s a yummy one — in August I stopped by the secretive HQ of Hyphen, tasting the future that Chipotle’s robots are hoping to cook up.
In September, Jordan Justus of Automotus dropped by The Courier podcast, serving as our first official guest; you know we had plenty of curb news to chat about!
Then my next guest was NYC’s Chief Climate Advisor Dawn Miller, she had plenty of smart, policy-oriented thoughts to share.
In October, I seem to have burst car rental startup Kyte’s bubble. (TechCrunch followed up with all the details on their downsizing.)
I think every podcast guest brought something unique and informative to our chats, but Alex Roy’s thoughts on narrative command may have stolen the show.
What a year! Fans of our little media empire can expect more annual reviews over at Modern Delivery and Ottomate shortly. And TRUE fans know they should snag tickets to Curbivore 2025 now, our 2-for-1 sale ends in just 24 hours. April 10th and 11th in DTLA promises to be our best gathering yet!
HOT INDUSTRY NEWS & GOSSIP
Magical cars in the Magic City: Alphabet-backed Waymo just announced the newest city for its robotaxi service: Miami, Florida, launching in early 2025. While Florida has tried for years to position itself as a center for AV development and deployment, this will be the first large scale launch in the state. TBD how the cars handle king tide flooding, which can leave low-lying streets completely submerged. Waymo also shared that it is outsourcing some of its fleet operations to Moove, which has built a name for itself handling rideshare fleet financing and maintenance.
How safe is that scooter? New data from Bolt shows that it’s… pretty safe! The European mobility app noted that both shared scooters and e-bikes saw injuries drop year over year.
Sayonara, Cero: It’s been a tough year for e-bike brands in America, with beloved upstart Cero the latest to throw in the towel. While their Japanese-style cargo bikes turned heads — you may have remembered seeing them at past Curbivores — they were unable to overcome the classic bullwhip effect that came after pandemic supply lines unclogged. Larger brands like Stromer are also finding the U.S. too hard to make a profit in.
MTA’s sky high ambitions: Well here’s a novel use for drones… the NYCMTA wants to use skycrawlers to keep an eye on busses, aiding with dispatching (aka telling which drivers to speed up or slow down.) The driver’s union is none too pleased about the concept, and we’re sure eventually the ACLU will have some thoughts too. In a similar vein, the agency is also promoting the roll-out of congestion pricing with somewhat dystopian looking graphics. Back on the ground, advocates are hoping the city will finally subsidize Citibike operations, to lower the now-astronomical price of bikeshare rentals.
ILJA ain’t going away: Brookings shows that even with a new administration in power, there’s still plenty of ILJA money left to be doled out, with over $200 billion remaining for transportation alone. The question is, exactly how capriciously discretionary some of those funds will get…
Zedify heads to Brum: UK cargobike delivery network Zedify just cut the ribbon on its 10th city — Birmingham — after first launching back in 2018. The LMD innovator is aiming for 50 cities in the next five years.
Open charging: SAE is this close to finalizing a universal standard for plug and charge, which means EV owners will no longer need a dozen apps just to juice their rides. Rivian has also started opening its charging network to other vehicle brands, starting with a location in Joshua Tree.
Delivery apps are really just ad networks: I’ve been saying that for years, and the latest presentation by Benedict Evans really hammers it home…
A few good links: This is (part of) why we can’t have nice things — CTA’s environmental impact report for red line extension is 100 times longer, per mile, than a 1980’s era project to extend the orange line. Riyadh cuts the ribbon on new metro. Bike trips rise 26% in London since 2019. The lonely fight against overly bright car headlights. Good shit — video of LA Metro testing trains at 70 MPH on the D Line extension. Turo and United Airlines partner on MileagePlus rewards miles. GM offloads EV battery factory to LGES. Pony AI’s IPO pops nicely. Jaguar slashing dealership count as part of weird rebrand. KC finds microtransit to be very expensive (duh.) ARX wants to make an “Amazon Firestick” for AV upgrades. Forage wants to make food stamps easy for deliverers. Sequoia tops for backing mobility/delivery unicorns? California finally launching e-bike incentives.
See you in 2025!
- Jonah Bliss & The Curbivore Crew
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