Uber’s forthcoming luxury robotaxi service with Lucid Motors and Nuro is getting a fourth partner: Hertz.

The companies announced Thursday that Hertz will provide “day-to-day vehicle asset management, including charging, maintenance, repairs, cleaning, and depot staffing.” The service, announced last year, is supposed to launch by the end of 2026 in the San Francisco Bay Area, using Lucid’s Gravity SUVs and Nuro’s self-driving tech.

Hertz is handling this work through a newly-established affiliate it’s calling Oro Mobility, which the rental company says will “provide integrated fleet management solutions across a range of mobility segments.”

“As the industry transitions from personally owned vehicles to commercially operated driver-led and autonomous fleets, Oro aims to fill a critical orchestration and operations gap,” the Hertz press release reads.

This is not the first time Hertz, which went through a bankruptcy restructuring process in 2020, has followed new mobility trends.

The company made a big splash in 2021 when it announced it was buying 100,000 EVs from Tesla, news that helped Elon Musk’s car company reach a $1 trillion valuation for the first time (and helped Hertz’s image as it emerged from bankruptcy). Hertz also announced plans in 2022 to buy up to 175,000 EVs from General Motors, and another 65,000 from Polestar.

None of those deals were ever fully realized, and Hertz started a fire sale of the EVs it had bought in early 2024. It did that in part because of higher-than-expected maintenance costs due to Uber drivers renting the EVs, and because Tesla slashed prices to stave off competition and boost sales.

Starting up a fleet management and operations arm, though, should be closer to Hertz’s core competencies as a rental car giant. Competitors like Avis are already doing this kind of work for Waymo. And with robotaxi companies seemingly keen to use third parties to manage this piece of the puzzle, Hertz could build a decent business with Oro.

To wit, Hertz and Uber said Thursday that they will “explore expansion opportunities in 2027.” Uber has deals with dozens of autonomous vehicle companies around the world, and has plans to order at least 35,000 robotaxi-ready vehicles from Lucid Motors alone in the coming years. It’s starting with 10,000 Gravity SUVs, and recently announced plans to order another 25,000 EVs from Lucid Motors that will be based on its upcoming mid-sized platform. (Uber also now owns more than 11% of Lucid Motors as part of investments it has made alongside the vehicle orders.)

Plateau State High Court has ordered that four suspects be remanded in the custody of the Department of State Services following their connection to the March 2026 killings in the Angwa Rukuba community of Jos North Local Government Area.

During the proceedings on Thursday, the court adjourned the matter until May 8, 2026, to allow for a Court Management Conference.

This decision followed an application by the defense counsel, who informed the court that they required additional time to consult with the defendants since they were meeting them for the first time on the day of the scheduled arraignment.

The suspects, identified as Isa Umar Ibrahim, Auwalu Abubakar (also known as Auwalu Dogo), Musa Abubakar Ibrahim (also known as Yaroro), and others, are facing charges related to criminal conspiracy and terrorism.

The State Attorney General, Philemon Daffi, filed the charges under the Penal Code Law of Plateau State, 2017.

Although the defendants pleaded not guilty to the counts brought against them, the state maintained that the group conspired to carry out the attacks that resulted in significant loss of life across several local government areas.

The killings, which took place on March 28, resulted in the deaths of at least 30 individuals, including children, in Bassa and Bokkos.

A point of contention arose during the hearing regarding where the suspects should be held. While the defense counsel argued for the defendants to be moved to a correctional center to facilitate better legal access, the Attorney General insisted on their return to DSS custody because investigations into the terrorism-related offenses are still active.

Presiding Judge Justice Gidelia FomYom , ultimately ruled that the magnitude of the case necessitated the suspects’ return to DSS custody.

However, the judge directed the authorities to ensure the defense team is granted the necessary access to their clients.

The Attorney General who spoke with journalists, reiterated that the nature of the charges requires strict detention while the legal process continues.

Meanwhile, lead defense counsel Mustapha Saliu expressed satisfaction with the court’s direction and stated that the defense team remains committed to following the case to its conclusion.