Smart Mobility Deployments NA

One of the world's most iconic cities has voted overwhelmingly to reduce the number of licenses issued for ride-hailing firms such as Uber and Lyft.

A US startup that is developing a supersonic rail transit system which it claims will represent the future of public transportation, has announced that it will construct a research center worth $500m in Spain. Virgin Hyperloop One reached an agreement with Spanish state-owned rail infrastructure firm ADIF after a series of protracted talks.

Uber said it was taking the first step toward restarting its autonomous ridesharing program, putting its self-driving cars back on the road in "manual mode" with a driver at the wheel at all times.

Uber made a move into electric scooters, as the ride-service giant agreed to a strategic partnership with Lime, one of the major players in the fast-growing segment.

US ridesharing giant Lyft announced it was acquiring bikesharing operator Motivate as it ramps up efforts against rival Uber in alternative forms of transportation. Terms of the deal were not announced for Motivate, which operates bike programs in New York, Boston, San Francisco, Washington and elsewhere.