Hertz It plans to expand beyond its car rental business and service the “next era of mobility” with a new operating subsidiary that will provide fleet management solutions for self-driving robotaxis and driver-driven ride-sharing fleets.
new company, Oro navigationIt was said on Thursday (April 30) press release That its first major partner is Uber.
Oro and Uber have formed strategic fleet partnerships in which Oro will provide operation and maintenance services for Uber’s autonomous and driver-driven operations in key U.S. markets, according to the release.
For Uber’s autonomous robotaxi program, Oro will provide charging, maintenance, repairs, cleaning, warehouse staffing and other daily vehicle asset management services. The two companies plan to launch this collaboration in the San Francisco Bay Area by the end of the year and then consider expanding it in 2027.
For Uber’s driver-driven operations, Oro will provide a fleet of vehicles maintained and operated by drivers employed by Oro. The companies successfully piloted this partnership in Atlanta last year, later expanded it to Los Angeles and San Francisco, and now plan to expand it to northern New Jersey this spring.
“This partnership with Uber establishes Oro as an end-to-end solution that connects demand with scalable fleet management services,” Hertz CEO Jill West he said in the release. “Through this work, we are deepening our capabilities across diverse mobility use cases, positioning Hertz to play an important role as the industry evolves.”
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Uber’s president and chief operating officer Andrew Macdonald The partnership with Oro will help Uber move to a network that includes driver-driven and autonomous ride-sharing operations, he said in the statement.
“By combining Uber’s global platform and market leadership with Oro’s dedicated fleet management expertise, we are well-equipped to meet the growing demand for ridesharing and deliver a seamless, high-quality rider experience across the entire mobility ecosystem,” MacDonald said.
Uber and the car maker Rivian It announced in March that it had teamed up to deploy 10,000 fully self-driving Rivian R2 units robotaxisstarting with Miami and San Francisco in 2028 and then expanding to 25 cities by 2031. The companies aim to deploy thousands of robotaxis in 25 cities in the United States, Canada and Europe by the end of 2021.
