Tada founder Kay Woo

As Grab and GoTo edge towards a potential merger that could redraw the region’s ride-hailing map, rival platform Tada is accelerating its global expansion plans spanning the United States and Africa.

After entering Denver in the US state of Colorado last July, the zero-commission ride-hailing firm is preparing to launch in New York City and raise fresh funds to enter Africa in 2026.

Rather than launch independently, Tada opted for a partnership-led entry into the US.

This was done via a partnership with Drivers Cooperative Colorado (DCC), with Tada providing ride-share service technology to the DCC platform. This also allowed Tada to test features different from those in the company’s South-east Asian market.

Key to being accepted by the DCC was Tada’s no-commission-fees stance; instead, the company just charges a fee to upkeep the platform.

“The group of drivers have been growing since the beginning of July last year, and trips have grown from two or three a day – now it’s closer to 100 trips per day,” Kay Woo, founder of Tada, told The Business Times.

That spurred the company to launch in a bigger market in the US, namely New York City. Compared with South-east Asia’s entire ride-hailing market, the city is 1.5 to two times bigger in dollar volume

Tada is targeting a beta launch in the city in May, followed by an official launch in June.

Source: The Business Times

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Uber’s California Ballot Initiative Sparks Showdown with Lawyers, Doctors

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Mobility Innovation Will Again Redefine Florida’s Growth and Future.

In Miami today, Waymo vehicles operate on public streets with no one behind the wheel. Orlando and Tampa are in active testing. You can see them navigating intersections, merging into traffic, yielding to pedestrians, even slowing for the occasional wandering chicken in Hialeah.

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Kodiak Integrates HAAS Alert’s Safety Cloud into Autonomous Trucking Platform

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How Collision Claims Are Trending for Electric Vehicle Repairs

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$5 Billion Cut to Public Transit: Canadians Will Pay the Price

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Québec Delays Switch to Electric Municipal Bus Fleets

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Spiro Raises $50m to Scale EV Battery Swapping across Africa

Electric mobility provider Spiro has raised $50 million to scale its battery swapping infrastructure across Africa. Founded in 2022, Spiro sells and leases electric two-wheelers to delivery riders, fleet operators and logistics companies. Under a battery subscription model, riders can swap depleted batteries for fully charged ones at Spiro’s swap stations.

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UAE Taxi Market Surpasses USD 2,000 Billion Valuation

Ken Research released its strategic market analysis titled "UAE Taxi Market," revealing that the current market size is valued at USD 2,000 Billion, based on a five-year historical analysis. The detailed study outlines how the market is poised to expand, driven by sustained tourism growth, rising airport passenger traffic, expanding urban commuting needs, increasing reliance on app-based ride booking platforms, and regulatory mandates accelerating the transition toward hybrid and electric taxi fleets across Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

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Uber Previews Its Dubai Air Taxi Service

Uber is one step closer to going airborne. On Wednesday, the company previewed its air taxi booking service ahead of an expected launch in Dubai later this year. The inaugural Uber Air program will let travelers book Joby Aviation's electric air taxis through a familiar process in the Uber app.

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Dubai Taxi to Launch Its First Self-Driving Ride Next Month

Dubai Taxi CEO Mansour Al Falasi announced that the company is gearing up to launch its inaugural self-driving taxi trip next month. He also revealed plans to expand operations into other emirates, including Abu Dhabi, Ajman, and Sharjah, with gradual implementation scheduled across the first and second halves of 2026.

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How Much Do Drivers Earn Per Ride under Bharat Taxi? Ownership Starts at Rs 500

Under Bharat Taxi's cooperative model, cab drivers will be able to become shareholders by investing Rs 500, hence becoming co-owners with a small investment

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E-Mobility Companies in Nigeria and Kenya Are Assembling Electric Vans and Taxis from Chinese EV Kits

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Image: Reason

The Superior Court for the District of Columbia reinstated its contempt orders against rideshare alternative Empower and its CEO Joshua Sear on Friday, resuming daily multi-thousand-dollar fines against the company and Sear. With no clear path to continue operations, it seems likely that Empower will be forced to cease operations, depriving thousands of independent drivers and money-conscious riders in and around D.C. of a convenient, inexpensive transportation option.

The battle between the rideshare company and district officials has been years in the making and has centered around the legality of Empower's operations in the city. Empower originally argued that it is not a private vehicle-for-hire company—and is thus not subject to certain district regulations and fees—because it did not employ drivers.

In October 2025, Empower ended any and all contractual relationships with riders and drivers in the district. The company argued this action removed it from the Department of For-Hire Vehicles' (DFHV) jurisdiction, as the district code defines private vehicle-for-hire companies as those "that uses digital dispatch to connect passengers to a network of private vehicle-for-hire operators," and operators as those who "provide private vehicle-for-hire service in contract with a private vehicle-for-hire company" (emphasis added). 

The Superior Court didn't buy Empower's argument, but stayed its contempt orders while Empower petitioned the D.C. Court of Appeals. Then, in November, and again in February, the D.C. Council updated the definition of private vehicle-for-hire operator to clarify that no contract is required between an operator and a private vehicle-for-hire company for either to qualify as such.

Source: Reason

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