BMW has rolled out a new car-sharing service named ReachNow that lets Seattle residents rent from 400 cars that can be picked up and dropped off almost anywhere within the city limits. The German automaker hopes to later expand the program to other cities throughout the United States. Audi and Daimler have launched similar programs in major North American cities including New York, Miami, Austin, San Francisco, and Vancouver, according to Tech Crunch.
BMW is teaming up with RideCell to offer the new service. The San Francisco company's software functions as a type of state-of-the-art traffic controller.
RideCell was created by Georgia Tech graduates who relocated to the Bay Area in 2011 for Y Combinator. The company defines itself as an OS for many ride-sharing, car-sharing, fixed, and dynamic-route transit services.
However, the original concept for the company was a ride-sharing service like Uber. Due to the highly-competitive industry it focused on autonomous fleet management that includes issues such as every car's location, and which vehicles need to visit a car wash.
RideCell's customers include 3M, University of California at Berkeley (UCB), and University of Southern California (USC). CEO Aarjav Trivedi explains that the company is ready to help its customers manage autonomous fleets.
BMW already runs car-sharing services in 10 European cities. The service seems to benefit cities and earn more revenue than by selling cars.
Now that the automaker has teamed up with RideCell it will be able to run its car-share vehicles more effectively. They include 3 Series sedans, electric i3 models, and even Mini Coopers.
BMW is not only using RideCell's services but is also investing in the company again. It led the round of investing after RideCell closed on $11.7 million in Series A funding. The startup has raised a total $17 million.
In related news, Uber recently launched its food-delivery mobile app named UberEATS in its first US cities, according to Wired. It is now available in Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Houston, and Toronto.
The stand-alone app offers regular delivery from about 100 restaurants in an area, from morning to 10 p.m. daily. Meanwhile, the Instant Delivery option offers three to five daily dishes in all cities from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m on weekdays.