A promotional image for the Israeli ride-hailing app Gett, which hopes to compete with Uber and Lyft. Image by YouTube

(REUTERS) — Israeli-founded ride service Gett has bought U.S. rival Juno for $200 million in a deal that further consolidated the ride-hailing industry and that some said short-changed Juno drivers.

Gett, an on-demand ride service that is a partner of automaker Volkswagen, said on Wednesday it had bought New York-based startup Juno. The transaction grows Gett’s driver roster and geographical footprint, and better positions it to compete with bigger companies such as Lyft and Uber.

Gett will acquire all of Juno’s existing business, including drivers and employees. Juno operates only in New York, while Gett is in more than 100 cities, mainly in the United Kingdom, Russia and Israel. Gett drivers and Juno drivers will in the short term drive on separate platforms with separate brands but will eventually be combined into a single platform, a Gett spokeswoman said.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Juno had positioned itself as a more driver-friendly alternative to Uber, offering its operators stock options in the company when they signed on. But with the acquisition, those restricted stock units will become nearly worthless.

Ryan Price, executive director of the Independent Drivers Guild, which advocates for Juno operators, said in an email that the company was “leaving the drivers who helped build the company with next to nothing.”

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount