Welcome to the latest edition of AFT NewsWatch, a weekly service of Advocates for Fairness in Transportation. Visit the Archive to read previous editions.

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AFT is an ad hoc group of regulated transportation service companies dedicated to informing and educating the public on threats to public safety from new so-called ride-sharing or ride-booking services such as Uber, Lyft and Sidecar.

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California regulators issue show cause order against TNCs

The agency charged with regulating limousine services and Transportation Network Companies in California issued a Show Cause Order on Nov. 7 against UberX and Lyft. The order from the California Public Utilities Commission requires the TNCs to show cause why the companies should not be found in contempt, why fines and penalties should not be imposed, and why their licenses to operate should not be revoked or suspended for violating TNC reporting requirements.

Read more from LCT Magazine

Lyft fatality in Roseville draws national attention

Shane Holland died in a fatal car accident on Interstate 80 near Roseville in the early morning hours of Nov. 1 - a collision that has draw wide attention since Holland was a passenger using Lyft, one of several ride-sharing services rapidly increasing in popularity. The accident occurred near the Riverside Avenue exit when driver Shanti Adhikari swerved on the wet freeway to avoid an immobile vehicle, lost control of the vehicle and hit a tree. 

Read more from the Roseville & Granite Bay Press Tribune

SF Green Cab pulls taxis off street, may go out of business

We have been covering the woes of the San Francisco taxi industry for some time now, and here's another one for you: SF Green Cab, a small worker-owned taxi cooperative founded in 2007, has stopped operating and could be out of business for good. Green Cab pulled its 16 cabs off the street late Thursday night just before the midnight expiration of its insurance, says Mark Gruberg, a member of the company's board and one of its founders. 

Read more from KQED News in San Francisco

Committee recommends tight regulation of ride-sharing companies Uber, Lyft

Uber and Lyft would face high insurance requirements, have to operate around the clock and be barred from using "surge" pricing during peak demand times if Madison City Council members regulate them the way a city subcommittee recommended Tuesday. One taxi official applauded the recommendations, saying they amounted to a good start in regulating ride-sharing companies, but the companies were far more critical.

Read more from Wisconsin State Journal

California Insurance Department ready to review TNC policies

California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones said Thursday his department is ready to accept insurance company filings to create new commercial coverage or endorsements to personal auto insurance policies that will provide coverage rideshare drivers. The policies Jones and the California Department of Insurance is ready to review would cover drivers for transportation network companies like Uber, Lyft and Sidecar.

Read more from Insurance Journal

Uber, Lyft must have permit at CVG

Uber and Lyft have never been allowed to pick-up customers at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport - and now signs have been posted around the terminal informing fliers about the rule. CVG officials released a statement Tuesday about the ban on the popular ride-sharing companies, just hours after someone posted a photo of a sign on the social media site reddit.com. 

Read more from the Cincinnati Enquirer

Uber gets OK for much of Pennsylvania, not Philly

The ride-sharing service Uber X won an experimental license Thursday to arrange private rides throughout much of Pennsylvania, a victory that came with a warning "to abandon its anarchist ways" and comply with state regulators. The state's Public Utility Commission said the taxi industry needed innovation, but it called Uber X's two-year license a "last chance" for the company - which once defied an agency cease-and-desist order - to cooperate.

Read more from the Associated Press

Broward goes after Uber underground taxis

Uber underground taxi service doesn't like Broward County's cab laws, so the technology giant isn't following them. The company's defiant stance set off a legal battle this week. County officials will send a cease and desist letter to Uber, warning the "ride share'' company to stop operating illegally here. Broward commissioners said they're not necessarily opposed to having the 21st Century, app-driven ride service in town. 

Read more from the Sun Sentinel