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This Week In Rideshare: OpenAI, China + Robotaxis and DoorDash / Gas.
Uber leans on OpenAI, China puts the breaks on robotaxis and DoorDash offers relief. LegalRideshare breaks it down.
UBER USES OPENAI
Uber is using OpenAI to “help people”. From Uber:
Uber has long used machine learning to support its marketplace. And now, with the benefit of large language models and OpenAI frontier models, Uber can reason across complex signals more quickly, deliver fast conversational responses, and power voice experiences inside the app.
The collaboration between Uber and OpenAI is helping Uber build AI-powered products that simplify earning opportunities for drivers and couriers and reduce friction for riders. And using OpenAI's models, Uber can ship streamlined products and experiences faster than ever.
For drivers, flexibility is one of Uber's biggest strengths. Some drive full-time, others just on weekends, while some drive between classes or shifts. This flexibility also means drivers are constantly evaluating options and asking questions: Where should I position myself right now? Is the airport worth driving to? Should I switch from rides to deliveries during lunch? Why did my earnings look different today?
To help answer those questions, Uber developed Uber Assistant, an AI-powered assistant designed to help drivers throughout their lifecycle on the platform — from onboarding and first trips to day-to-day earnings optimization.
CHINA STOPS ROBOTAXI LICENSES
China has put the breaks on robotaxi licenses. Fortune reported:
On March 31, over a hundred of Baidu's Apollo Go robotaxis simultaneously froze on the streets of Wuhan. Vehicles stalled on overpasses and elevated roads, trapping passengers for up to two hours.
A few weeks later, Beijing suspended all new autonomous driving permits nationwide. The suspension suspension blocked robotaxi companies from adding to their fleets, starting new tests, or expanding to additional cities, according to Bloomberg.
In the U.S., meanwhile, some autonomous vehicles are driving into street lights and even into the middle of ongoing crime scenes. In just one month in Austin, Tesla's robotaxis crashed into a fixed object head on and in reverse, while also hitting trees, poles, buses and trucks. Waymo's robotaxis are incapable of closing their own doors — and the company has taken to hiring DoorDashers to door dash and close the doors after a passenger gets out. In October 2023, a Cruise AV dragged a pedestrian 20 feet.
The U.S. has no federal autonomous vehicle safety law. The SELF DRIVE Act of 2026, a bipartisan House bill, would create the first statute, yet it remains a draft. Earlier versions in 2017 and 2021 died without passage.
DOORDASH TO SPEND $50M ON GAS PRICE RELIEF
DoorDash is spending over $50M to help with gas prices. AP News reported:
The San Francisco-based company said in March that it would offer extra compensation to U.S. and Canadian drivers as part of a temporary program to offset a sharp increase in gas prices due to the Iran war. The national average for a gallon of gas on Wednesday was $4.53, up 44% from a year ago, according to AAA.
The company said it's paying for gas price relief by adjusting investments in other areas. DoorDash said in November that it would be spending heavily on new products and services this year, including the addition of restaurant reservations in its app and robot deliveries.
LegalRideshare is the first law firm in the United States to focus exclusively on Uber®, Lyft®, robotaxis, Waymo, and gig worker accidents and injuries. Consultations are always free.
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By LegalRideshare
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Uber leans on OpenAI, China puts the breaks on robotaxis and DoorDash offers relief. LegalRideshare breaks it down.
UBER USES OPENAI
Uber is using OpenAI to “help people”. From Uber:
Uber has long used machine learning to support its marketplace. And now, with the benefit of large language models and OpenAI frontier models, Uber can reason across complex signals more quickly, deliver fast conversational responses, and power voice experiences inside the app.
The collaboration between Uber and OpenAI is helping Uber build AI-powered products that simplify earning opportunities for drivers and couriers and reduce friction for riders. And using OpenAI's models, Uber can ship streamlined products and experiences faster than ever.
For drivers, flexibility is one of Uber's biggest strengths. Some drive full-time, others just on weekends, while some drive between classes or shifts. This flexibility also means drivers are constantly evaluating options and asking questions: Where should I position myself right now? Is the airport worth driving to? Should I switch from rides to deliveries during lunch? Why did my earnings look different today?
To help answer those questions, Uber developed Uber Assistant, an AI-powered assistant designed to help drivers throughout their lifecycle on the platform — from onboarding and first trips to day-to-day earnings optimization.
CHINA STOPS ROBOTAXI LICENSES
China has put the breaks on robotaxi licenses. Fortune reported:
On March 31, over a hundred of Baidu's Apollo Go robotaxis simultaneously froze on the streets of Wuhan. Vehicles stalled on overpasses and elevated roads, trapping passengers for up to two hours.
A few weeks later, Beijing suspended all new autonomous driving permits nationwide. The suspension suspension blocked robotaxi companies from adding to their fleets, starting new tests, or expanding to additional cities, according to Bloomberg.
In the U.S., meanwhile, some autonomous vehicles are driving into street lights and even into the middle of ongoing crime scenes. In just one month in Austin, Tesla's robotaxis crashed into a fixed object head on and in reverse, while also hitting trees, poles, buses and trucks. Waymo's robotaxis are incapable of closing their own doors — and the company has taken to hiring DoorDashers to door dash and close the doors after a passenger gets out. In October 2023, a Cruise AV dragged a pedestrian 20 feet.
The U.S. has no federal autonomous vehicle safety law. The SELF DRIVE Act of 2026, a bipartisan House bill, would create the first statute, yet it remains a draft. Earlier versions in 2017 and 2021 died without passage.
DOORDASH TO SPEND $50M ON GAS PRICE RELIEF
DoorDash is spending over $50M to help with gas prices. AP News reported:
The San Francisco-based company said in March that it would offer extra compensation to U.S. and Canadian drivers as part of a temporary program to offset a sharp increase in gas prices due to the Iran war. The national average for a gallon of gas on Wednesday was $4.53, up 44% from a year ago, according to AAA.
The company said it's paying for gas price relief by adjusting investments in other areas. DoorDash said in November that it would be spending heavily on new products and services this year, including the addition of restaurant reservations in its app and robot deliveries.
LegalRideshare is the first law firm in the United States to focus exclusively on Uber®, Lyft®, robotaxis, Waymo, and gig worker accidents and injuries. Consultations are always free.