San Francisco-based ride-share and same-day delivery company, Sidecar, has announced that it will shut down on December 31.
“Today is a turning point for Sidecar as we prepare to end our ride and delivery service,” Sidecar co-founder Sunil Paul writes in a blog post yesterday.
Sunil praised the company for its innovations in the ride-share industry.
“Long ago we conceived of a technology that gave rise to the ride-share movement,” says Sunil. “Nearly four years ago we invented what is now known as ride-sharing.”
“People loved it,” Sunil says. “It was safe, convenient, and affordable. We launched a series of firsts, and continually made ride-sharing safer, more convenient, and more affordable.”
Leading the way in innovation, Sidecar added a medical cannabis delivery service to its portfolio of offerings.
Partnering with Meadow, a San Francisco cannabis company, Sidecar began offering same-day weed deliveries to members of the Apothecarium dispensary.
“There are a lot of reasons why we wanted to partner with Sidecar,” Meadow co-founder and CEO David Hua told BuzzFeed News.
“They’re willing to work within necessary compliance regulations, including both San Francisco law and California state laws,” Hua says. “They have a delivery network out there that is already processing orders on delivery side and passenger side.”
Initially, it seemed that the cannabis delivery service was well received by medical marijuana patients throughout the city.
“What you’re finding is that people who are coming onto the platform want a more legitimate and safe experience than what they already have,” says Hua. “We make sure it is professional and discreet.”
Despite the appeal of Sidecar’s delivery services, the company was unable to keep up with the capital accumulation of rival companies like Uber and Lyft.
Sunil’s blog post mentioned being at “a significant capital disadvantage” despite having clocked in nearly $35 million during its 4-year tenure.
This number was not enough to keep up with Uber, whose value exceeds $62 billion.
Sadly, medical pot users in San Francisco will now have to find another way to get their herb.
