General Motors may soon be in the ride-hailing business after an inside source claims the automaker is looking into expanding its Maven unit to include ride sharing.
The service would effectively challenge Lyft and Uber in the ride-sharing business, according to Reuters, which may prove interesting for GM. General Motors recently invested $500 million into Lyft in an effort to develop a fleet of self-driving cars for ride-sharing purposes. Recently, Lyft announced it would also work with Google’s Waymo unit on self-driving cars as well, but GM reiterated its relationship with the ride-sharing company remained the same.
Maven has also recently expanded to include Maven Gig, which offers freelancers a set of wheels for side work. GrubHub, InstaCart and Roadie have all partnered with the service. Maven was first launched as a car-sharing unit, which provides rentals for those who don’t own a private vehicle. The service has since stretched across the United States and a pilot has been underway in Canada.
When asked if GM aims to create its own ride and delivery service, Maven boss Julia Steyn said, “You’re on the right track. We are building this out step by step.”
Most recently, GM filed to trademark “Maven Merge” and “Merge.” Per the trademark filing, GM intends to use it to name goods and services in the following categories: bicycles, electric bicycles, motorized bicycles, and structural parts thereof; motors for bicycles; electric conversion kits for bicycles comprised of motors for bicycles and electric handlebar motor controls. Translation: GM’s Maven could soon be in the electric bicycle business.
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