Three different AV strategies
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AI and autonomy. Everyone wants a piece of it. There’s Google, whose AV unit Waymo has conquered one of the last holdouts to its technology in the Bay Area: San Francisco International Airport. There’s Tesla, which is even abandoning two of its five models as it pivots aggressively towards robotaxis and robots. And then there’s Uber, striking deals with seemingly every AV startup to ensure that whoever figures out robotaxis will do so through the Uber app.
Plus: Austin buses (finally) get tap & pay, Seattle scooter usage skyrockets, Wisk opts for a slower approach to air taxis, and the reincarnation of Bird, the micromobility pioneer that went bankrupt, is raising some serious money. Finally, would you prefer to save for retirement or rely entirely on food apps for meals? It appears many young Americans are opting for the latter.
What you need to know
Uber strikes another AV deal: As part of its recent $1 billion raise, AV startup Waabi received $250 million from Uber in exchange for a deal to eventually deploy 25,000 robotaxis exclusively on the Uber platform. It is one of approximately 20 AV companies that have made similar deals with the ride-hail giant. Rather than develop its own driverless vehicles, Uber is on a mad dash to get existing AV makers onto its app.
Waymo goes to the airport: You can now hail a driverless ride to and from San Francisco International Airport, but Rakesh Agrawal of PC World recommends holding off if you’re in a hurry. At this point, the ride costs more than an Uber or Lyft and doesn’t drop you off right at the terminal.
Tesla ditches the S & X: Elon Musk says the automaker will abandon the Model S, the first successful mass produced EV, and the pricey Model X, but keep the better-selling Model 3 and Model Y. Musk described the move as in keeping with the company’s shift to focusing on autonomous driving and robotics.
Finally, tap to pay comes to Austin: Austin’s transit agency, CapMetro, finally unveils a payment system worthy of the tech hub it serves. Customers can now tap their credit cards or digital wallets to pay the token $1.25 fare. Hopefully this will make transit more attractive in the historically car-centric city, which is struggling to upgrade its transit system.
What Wisk is doing differently: A useful explainer on how eVTOL startup Wisk, now a subsidiary of Boeing, is operating differently than principal competitors Joby and Archer. The others are hoping to deliver commercial air taxis within the next year or two, but Wisk doesn’t expect to launch commercially until 2030 –– because it is focused on developing autonomous air taxis.
Bird is still flying: Third Lane Mobility, the parent company of Bird and Spin, raises $20 million to support fleet expansion in a number of cities, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Atlanta, Tel Aviv and Rome. You might recall that Bird was the earliest and most recognizable pioneer of shared e-scooters in the late 2010’s but declared bankruptcy in 2023, prompting a reorganization under new ownership (Third Lane).
Seattle’s crazy scooter surge: E-bike and scooter rides in Seattle increased 60% in 2025 to roughly 10 million. Both Bird and Lime offer discounted rides to those who qualify for other low-income services, such as Medicaid or reduced transit fares.
Deploy It in the Real World: Michigan’s Real World Deployments program is funding companies to pilot and scale mobility, electrification, and transportation tech in live public settings—typically with $50K–$500K per project. If you’re ready to test your solution with real partners and real impact, this is your cue to apply.
LA Metro’s Olympics playbook: LA Metro, which is preparing for an influx of millions of tourists for the 2028 Summer Olympics, partners with global engineering firm WSP to publish a new playbook on planning for and managing transportation for major events: Ready, SETGO. In an article for Informed Infrastructure, WSP’s Paul Hammond highlights best practices from the playbook, including examples of recently-executed tactics from other major events, such as Lalapolooza in Chicago and the Outside Lands Music Festival in San Francisco.
Applications are now open for the 8th annual Transit Tech Lab, an accelerated innovation program founded by the Partnership Fund for New York City and the MTA to improve public transit in the NY metro area.
This year’s Lab is seeking technology companies with solutions that can help transit agencies advance infrastructure systems or modernize data and operational workflows. Selected companies will participate in an eight-week proof of concept with the MTA, Port Authority of NY & NJ, and NYC DOT.
Applications close Feb 27. Apply now or attend an info session on February 6 at 1pm ET to learn more about this year’s challenges.
What we’re reading
The high cost of food delivery: The New York Times delves into America’s growing addiction to food delivery. Deliveries now account for three quarters of the food ordered from restaurants. My take: it’s time for high schools to make cooking classes mandatory.
The bike industry crisis: E-bikes are great, but the industry is in a very bad place due to overproduction during the pandemic bike boom. Andrew Miller, author of Changing Lanes Newsletter, talks with Kevin McLaughlin, CEO of Zygg, an e-bike manufacturer, about the threat that industry collapse and nonsensical regulations pose to safe, affordable mobility.
