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.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.