Lyft announced on Apr. 24 that it is acquiring Gett UK, a London-based rideshare app focused on black cabs, for an undisclosed amount. This move marks another step in Lyft’s international expansion after its recent purchase of European app FreeNow and a robotaxi pilot with Baidu in London.
The acquisition comes at a time when the rideshare industry is experiencing significant legal and regulatory developments. Uber recently lost its second consecutive sexual assault trial in federal court, raising concerns about driver safety liability. In Charlotte, North Carolina, a jury found Uber liable for a 2019 incident involving one of its drivers. The verdict awarded the plaintiff $5,000 but highlighted ongoing risks facing the company as it deals with over 3,000 pending lawsuits.
Meanwhile, California drivers represented by Rideshare Drivers United have filed suit against Uber in San Francisco Superior Court. The lawsuit alleges that Uber has not implemented an adequate appeals process for deactivated drivers as required by Proposition 22 and seeks back pay and damages for affected workers. Drivers claim current appeal procedures rely heavily on automated systems rather than meaningful human review.
DoorDash is also making changes to how it pays drivers by planning to offer stablecoin payouts through Stripe’s Tempo blockchain system. This would allow near-instant settlement of earnings instead of waiting for traditional bank transfers or paying fees for instant cashouts. However, the impact will depend on regulatory clarity around stablecoins and whether DoorDash passes any fee savings to drivers.
In Seattle, the Office of Labor Standards released data showing gig workers’ average hourly pay rose to nearly $16 following implementation of a minimum-pay ordinance covering major delivery platforms. The city’s dataset covers more than 92,000 workers across five companies over eighteen months and suggests demand remained steady despite new regulations.
