Uber and Lyft competitor Sidecar calls it quits

A person uses a ride-sharing app to hail a car.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

After 2 p.m. on Dec. 31, don't try getting in touch with Sidecar — that's the time the transportation company will cease its ride-hailing and delivery operations.

Co-founder and chief executive Sunil Paul announced Tuesday that it's "the end of the road for the Sidecar ride and delivery service," but added that it's "by no means the end of the journey for the company." Since it launched in 2012, the company has been competing with Uber and Lyft, but raised just $35 million and operated out of only 10 U.S. cities, including Los Angeles and San Francisco, the Los Angeles Times reports. Over the past year, it expanded from just offering rides to people to delivering items. The company did not say what will happen to its employees or how many drivers will be affected.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Explore More

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.