So long Sidecar, and thanks for all the side-view mirror covers. Co-founders of the company announced in a blog post today that Sidecar would cease operations by the end of the year in order to focus on "the next big thing."
As to what that next big thing might be, co-founders Sunil Paul and Jahan Khanna didn't say.
"This is the end of the road for the Sidecar ride and delivery service, but it’s by no means the end of the journey for the company," wrote the co-founders in the joint blog post.
Sidecar, which launched in 2011, began as a competitor to Uber (and later Lyft) before the company shifted focus to on-demand deliveries (including weed) for businesses early this year.
"I’m extremely proud of our team and all that we’ve accomplished," wrote Sunil Paul and Jahan Khanna. "We are the innovation leader in ridesharing despite a significant capital disadvantage, continually rolling out new products that set the bar for others to follow."
Sidecar was the first ride-hailing service to receive official permission to operate out of San Francisco International Airport late last year, and made news when it debuted a feature allowing passengers to request women drivers.
These steps were not enough to distinguish the company from its competitors, however, and Sidecar seemingly was never able to gain the traction of Uber or Lyft.
