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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My Distracted Uber Driver
My distracted Uber driver (click on the image above to watch this shocking video by a real Uber passenger, Justin Clegg)

Uber CEO charged with operating illegal taxi service in South Korea

The latest city to give Uber a chilly reception: Seoul, where Uber CEO Travis Kalanick is facing criminal charges. Prosecutors told local media they charged Kalanick and the head of Uber's local business partner with operating without the proper license.The local operator is a rental car company, and those companies are not allowed to operate a taxi service, reported Yonhap, South Korea's semi-official news agency. 

Read more from CNN Money

Ridesharing insurance leaves many drivers in the lurch

Ridesharing companies like Uber insure drivers when they're picking up fares, and personal policies are supposed to cover moments when those drivers are waiting for customers. However, BuzzFeed News has learned that it doesn't work that way in practice -- and that's potentially a very expensive problem if you've signed up. 

Read more from Engadget

Obama administration takes sides in disability suit against Uber

The Obama administration weighed on the side of advocates for the blind in a San Francisco federal court suit accusing ride-on-demand company Uber of discriminating against passengers with guide dogs.

Read more from San Francisco Chronicle

Uber slapped with suit by 45 Phila. taxi companies

A group of 45 Philadelphia taxi companies filed suit in federal court Tuesday alleging that Uber, the app-based taxi enterprise, is waging unfair competition against medallion owners who must operate under state laws and regulations. Lead litigant Checker Cab Philadelphia and the other cab operators accused Uber of racketeering. 

Read more from The Philadelphia Inquirer

Chongqing police raid adds to Uber issues

Uber is in hot water in China's spicy-hotpot capital of Chongqing. Police raided a training session organized by Uber Technologies. According to a report by the 21st Century Business Herald newspaper, more than 20 drivers were in attendance-including one person who had recently been released from prison after a conviction for theft. 

Read more from China Real Time/The Wall Street Journal

Uber driver charged with rape held without bail

An Uber driver accused of raping a woman who was using the ride-sharing service this month was ordered held without bail after he waived a hearing to determine whether he was too dangerous to be released before his trial. Alejandro Done, 46, of Boston, agreed to be held under the dangerousness statute in Cambridge District Court. 

Read more from The Boston Globe

Uber driver beat model, dislocated her nose over Philly traffic jam: Lawsuit

A Philadelphia model says an Uber driver beat her in the face over a traffic jam, according to a lawsuit filed in civil court. Lorraine Delp was stopped in her car along the 1300 block of Sansom Street just after 3 p.m. on July 17 when Djamel Khelife, a driver for the popular black car service, started banging on her window trying to get her to move, the suit filed in Philadelphia Civil Court stated.

Read more from NBC10 Philadelphia

The Year in Uber scandals: A surge-priced cruise through the company's biggest controversies

Uber is one of the success stories of the sharing economy and has completely revolutionized how we think about getting from A to B. Yet its ascent has also come at a steep cost: This year has seen Uber racked by a seemingly endless string of scandals and P.R. disasters, with investor Peter Thiel calling Uber the "most ethically-challenged company in Silicon Valley."

Read more from Salon

Uber in a California regulatory standoff over data

Uber argued Thursday that it should not have to turn over ride data in a California regulatory standoff that shows how the transportation service is falling afoul of officials who could threaten its expansion. The issue, which is being heard in a California administrative court and whose outcome will not be known until next year, pits Uber against the California Public Utilities Commission. 

Read more from Reuters

Uber drivers can charge you for rides that never happened

I decided my trip to San Francisco last week would be a fitting time to finally give Uber a go. It wasn't a very good first experience. After a four-hour flight delay, the last thing I wanted to deal with was getting charged for a ride I never took. Yet that's exactly what happened.

Read more from VentureBeat

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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