NewsWatch
  Keeping a critical eye on Uber, 
Lyft, Sidecar, et al

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


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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Bloomberg Video: Hey Uber, you're not as special as you think you are
Bloomberg Video: Hey Uber, you're not as special as you think you are (click on the image above to watch the video from Bloomberg)

Uber needs to learn how to play by the rules

Is there a company in America more in need of adult supervision than Uber? The fast-growing ride-hailing firm can't seem to go anywhere without stomping on toes. It attracts complaints from local regulators like a deer attracts ticks. Executives have been known to invade customers' privacy by tracking their Uber travels; one openly threatened personal retaliation against a troublesome journalist. 

Read more from the Los Angeles Times

Is your money stuck in Uber's PayTM account?

Did you top up your PayTM wallet to use on Uber Technologies app just before the car-hailing service got banned in Delhi and Hyderabad? Do not worry. PayTM is an independent virtual wallet in India and isn't specific to Uber. The company switched to the payment system last month to comply with rules on online payments from India's central bank. 

Read more from The Wall Street Journal

California sues Uber in startup's latest legal woe

California prosecutors sued Uber over the ride-booking company's driver background checks and other allegations, adding to the popular startup's legal woes in the U.S. and around the world. The lawsuits filed Tuesday in San Francisco Superior Court are the latest legal hurdles for the nascent ride-hailing industry. 

Read more from the Associated Press

Portland comes down hard on Uber drivers, threatens large fines

Uber just launched in Portland, Oregon on Friday, and it's already raising the ire of local officials. Ars Technica reports that the City of Portland plans to levy hefty fines against Uber drivers operating within the city without a valid taxi permit. According to a press release, Portland's city government "is prepared to issue civil and criminal penalties against Uber and its drivers for operating without required permits and inspections." 

Read more from PC World

Police investigating allegations that Uber driver assaulted female customer 

The online car service Uber says it has "removed" one of its drivers as police investigate allegations that he sexually assaulted a female customer in Lincoln Square last month. The woman told police she had been out with friends from work when she called for an Uber car at 2:50 a.m. on Nov. 16, according to the police report. 

Read more from the Chicago Tribune

Exclusive: Uber offered woman credit in response to sexual harassment allegation

Uber offered a woman �20 ($31) credit after she reported being sexually harassed during a journey in London, it's been revealed. In an email exchange seen by Newsweek, the female passenger first notified the company of the driver's misconduct saying: "Driver was very forward and quite creepy. Asked me if I wanted him to go down on me. Not cool." 

Read more from Newsweek

Uber is ordered by Spain and Thailand to halt operations

A run of bad news for Uber continued on Tuesday, when Spain and Thailand ordered the ride-sharing service to cease operations in the two countries. In Madrid, a commercial court judge sided with a taxi association complaint, saying that Uber must cease driving in Spain until a lawsuit contesting its right to operate can be heard.

Read more from The New York Times

Former Uber driver charged in girl's crosswalk death in S.F.

San Francisco prosecutors charged a former Uber driver with misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter in connection with a crash in San Francisco last year that killed a 6-year-old girl. Syed Muzaffar, 57, of Union City surrendered Thursday after the charge was filed and posted $50,000 bail. He is to appear Wednesday at the Hall of Justice in San Francisco. 

Read more from San Francisco Chronicle

Uber blocked from Brazil to California as hurdles mount

Uber Technologies Inc. has hit an increasing pileup of regulatory and legal hurdles this week, with its mobile application challenged from India to California. The car-booking app yesterday was sued by the district attorneys of Los Angeles and San Francisco over claims that it makes false assurances to customers about drivers' background checks. That came after a judge in Spain banned Uber from operating in the country.

Read more from Bloomberg

Uber's global ambitions hit roadblocks

Uber is running into roadblocks on its path to global domination. The most recent came on Friday. After being sued by taxi companies in France, a court allowed Uber to operate, but rivals are saying the company's legal battles haven't ended. Earlier in the week, a Spanish judge temporarily blocked the car service and authorities in the Indian capital New Delhi banned it.

Read more from CNN Money

Will rider safety be the Achilles heel for Uber?

The growth of ride-hailing companies such as Uber and Lyft so far has not been hindered by limits from government regulators and campaigns by taxi cab competitors. A bigger threat to the new industry's impressive start could come from customers - if enough people stop using the services over fears that drivers aren't safe. Not safe as in the drivers won't get into an accident - safe as in they won't attack passengers.

Read more from the Associated Press

Indianapolis woman upset about Uber fare

Ride-sharing companies are coming under fire in Indianapolis and across the country. Leah Kappen of Indianapolis took Uber downtown this weekend for the Big Ten Championship at Lucas Oil Stadium. It's a ride that cost her $30. However, the 18 minute ride back home to Castleton set her back $450. "It made me a little bit sick to my stomach, considering that's a huge chunk gone out of my bank account," Kappen said.

Read more from WISH TV8

Uber driver took passed-out woman on a very long, very expensive ride

Over the last couple of years, Uber has faced complaints about its sometimes exorbitant pricing system and questions about whether women should feel safe riding with the company's drivers. On Saturday, Gothamist published a story that seems to combine those two issues, with a female rider passing out in an Uber car and waking up to a curiously high tab.

Read more from New York Magazine

Four Things About Uber You Wish You Never Knew
Four things about Uber you wish you never knew (click on the image above to watch the video from whosdrivingyou.org)
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