Uber increases options for U.K. drivers
Uber Technologies Inc. is adding options for drivers in the U.K., tweaking its app as the latest compromise aimed at appeasing chauffeurs in Europe amid lawsuits and protests.
The application will start letting drivers cash their income anytime, instead of the end of the week, and will offer advice on improving per-hour revenue, Uber's general manager for the U.K., Jo Bertram, said in a blog post. Uber's drivers in the country will also be able to find customers going roughly the same route they're planning -- toward their home at the end of a shift for example.
"Over the last year we've listened to thousands of drivers across the U.K.," Bertram said in an emailed statement. "We're really pleased to announce some new initiatives today and we'll be setting out more in the coming months."
After years of battling regulators across Europe, Uber is turning its attention to a backlash from chauffeurs. The company lost a lawsuit in the U.K. last year over drivers' pay and vacation time -- a first for the company from a London tribunal. It's been drafting a driver support scheme catered to France to sway local unions threatening to protest in touristy Paris.
-- Bloomberg News
Microsoft again raises prices in U.K.
Microsoft Corp. again raised the prices of some of its products after the pound's decline in the wake of last year's referendum on the U.K.'s exit from the European Union.
Becoming the latest technology company to try to pass the pound's drop on to consumers, the company said it increased prices on software and laptops last week.
The pound has fallen 16 percent versus the dollar since June's vote, making it costlier to import goods into Britain and eating into profits earned in pounds when translated into another currency.
Wireless-speaker maker Sonos said last week that it will raise prices in the U.K. this month across its range of home-audio systems. Apple Inc. last year quietly raised the cost of some of its products in Britain by 20 percent.
-- Bloomberg News
China ride-sharing dream takes detour
China's ride-sharing boom was once seen as a path to prosperity for thousands of drivers. However, a government crackdown on an industry dominated by Didi Chuxing has brought that dream to a screeching halt.
In Beijing and other major cities, nonresident drivers are now banned. That's left many struggling to pay off loans they'd taken out to buy cars.
Now drivers must take the risk of getting nabbed without the right permit by staying on the roads. Struggling for money, many live in a drab row of concrete homes known by residents as "Didi village." Its paths are filled with trash and there's an outdoor toilet, but the rent is cheap.
A spokesman for Didi told Bloomberg they were "optimistic" they would obtain official operating licenses for their drivers.
-- Bloomberg News
Finland's Rovio looks at cutting 35 jobs
The maker of the Angry Birds mobile games is considering cutting 35 jobs, almost 10 percent of the total, as it restructures its animation business as part of an attempt to revive growth.
Rovio Entertainment Oy, which has its headquarters in Espoo, Finland, said it's making operational changes at its studio that makes cartoons and that its production of games or movies won't be affected. The potential job cuts may affect an animation unit in Finland, as well as other company functions, spokesman Kaisu Karvala said last week.
"We're working very closely with our employees to see how to organize our animation unit, support functions and management," Karvala said.
The potential reductions follow hundreds of job cuts in recent years as the Finnish company has failed to repeat the success of its best-known title. While its games have been downloaded billions of times since 2009, waning interest has slowed sales of merchandise, weighing on revenue and earnings. Besides working on new games, the company is trying to build on the success of last year's The Angry Birds Movie, a No. 1 film in markets including China and the U.S.
-- Bloomberg News
Oil firm to try drones for rig inspections
A British drone operator has won a contract to inspect rigs operated by one of the world's largest oil producers.
Sky Futures Ltd. will deploy drones at Eni S.p.A. facilities as part of a global three-year contract. The company expects airborne analysis and visualization technology to help improve safety by forecasting problems before they occur.
Safety on Eni rigs came under focus last year when a worker was injured on the company's Goliat facility in the Barents Sea, shortly after unions had expressed concerns. That was followed by a fire on an Eni offshore platform in the Republic of Congo, which resulted in the death of a crane driver and injured five workers. The company said in July that injury frequency during the first half of 2016 fell 11 percent from the same period a year earlier.
Sky Futures co-founder Chris Blackford declined to comment on the value of the contract but said the Middlesex, U.K.-based company is in discussions with other oil producers.
In addition to their safety benefits -- traditional methods of inspection can require workers to dangle from cables -- drones are also more efficient. Humans can take eight weeks to gather the same information that Sky Futures' machines capture in as little as five days, Blackford previously said.
-- Bloomberg News
Tesla gears up to roll into UAE market
Tesla Inc. is expanding to the United Arab Emirates, making a move to sell its pricey electric cars in one of the world's largest oil-producing nations.
The company is taking orders for the Model S sedan and Model X sport utility vehicle for summer delivery. Tesla also plans to open its first service center in the Middle East in July and will support online sales with a pop-up store in the region's biggest shopping center, Dubai Mall, Tesla said in a statement last week. It will also open a store and service center in the capital, Abu Dhabi, next year.
The Palo Alto, Calif.-based company is selling electric cars in the UAE, which holds about 6 percent of global oil reserves and is the fourth-biggest producer in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries.
Two Tesla Supercharging stations have popped up around Dubai to allow drivers to charge their vehicles. Tesla will open five more by year-end. The Model S will be sold for $74,900 and Model X for $93,000.
-- Bloomberg News
SundayMonday Business on 02/20/2017