U.S. rideshare company Lyft has agreed to acquire British black cab app Gett, resulting in the majority of registered black cab drivers across Greater London becoming available on the Lyft platform – the deal is expected to close in the coming weeks.
With the addition of Gett, Lyft will offer a suite of ground transport options – from black cabs and private hire to bikes and executive chauffeur – that will nearly double the number of rides on the platform across the capital. Gett’s team will transfer to ‘Freenow by Lyft’ once the acquisition is complete.
“We are delighted to start a new chapter for Gett operations in the UK with Lyft,” says Matteo de Renzi, CEO of Gett. “I’m confident that under this new ownership, the team at Gett by Lyft will continue to reach new heights, for the benefit of all our customers, drivers, and partners.”
Across 2026, mobility and transport-adjacent activity provides good context for Lyft’s acquisition and the broader ecosystem they are entering.
- Germany: Dresden-based Additive Drives raised over €25 million to expand high-performance 3D-printed electric motor technology; Munich-based HeyCharge received a €2.5 million EIC grant to scale offline EV charging across Europe; Munich-based TWAICE secured a €24 million EIB loan to scale predictive battery analytics for energy storage and electric vehicles; and Berlin-based Nox Mobility raised €2 million to develop private-room night trains as an alternative to short-haul flights.
- UK: Wayve, which raised €1 billion to move its embodied AI autonomous driving platform towards scaled commercial deployment; London-based GIN e-bikes, which secured €215k in debt funding to expand its PLUTO e-bike subscription service
- Elsewhere: Paris-based Decade Energy secured €22 million to scale depot power infrastructure for electric road transport; and Kortrijk-based Magnax secured €35.5 million to industrialise axial flux motor technology for e-mobility and other applications;
In M&A, it was also reported that Salzburg-based BENTELER Group agreed to acquire Frankfurt-based ioki to build an integrated autonomous public transport platform. The disclosed 2026 funding across these selected rounds totals around €111 million excluding Wayve’s €1 billion Series D.
In this context, Lyft’s planned acquisition of Gett sits alongside European activity in autonomous driving, public transport software, fleet electrification, EV charging, electric propulsion, battery analytics and shared mobility.
“With Gett, Lyft is expanding its coverage of London’s full ground transport ecosystem,” said Jeremy Bird, EVP of Global Growth at Lyft. “This milestone reflects Lyft’s commitment to the London market and our belief in its long-term potential. Adding Gett to Lyft’s ecosystem positions Lyft as the leading app for London black cabs.”
Founded in 2010, Gett claims to have three-quarters of Tfl registered black cab drivers on their network, with pick-up times averaging less than 4 minutes from Central London. The company also says that over 50% of the black cabs registered with them are zero-emission capable.
Once the acquisition is finalised, Lyft will add Gent to its growing mobility platform, which includes Freenow (acquired by Lyft mid-2025); the provision and maintenance of the bikes and stations for Santander Cycles, including the software that powers them; and later this year will be testing autonomous rides in London with Baidu.
According to Lyft, this will make it one of the only platforms in the world offering both human-driven and autonomous rides in London.
Today’s acquisition advances Lyft’s sustainable global growth strategy by expanding “out” in more locations and “up” into more high-value segments.
“Those who drive black cabs are some of the world’s most qualified drivers. Drivers pass the world’s toughest taxi exam, learning 25,000 streets and 20,000 landmarks before being licensed,” says Thomas Zimmermann, CEO of Freenow by Lyft. “We are excited to welcome Gett into the Lyft ecosystem, strengthening our customer-centric black cab and private hire service for Londoners, passengers across the UK, and travelers worldwide.”
Read the orginal article: https://www.eu-startups.com/2026/04/lyft-agrees-to-acquire-gett-in-push-for-broader-london-ground-transport-offering/
