NewsWatch
Keeping a critical eye on Uber,
Lyft, Sidecar, et al
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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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 | | Uber's rough ride in 2014: Lawsuits, bans & challenges (click on the image above to watch the Bloomberg News video) |
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Outraged Uber passengers post fare receipts on social media
Some people who celebrated New Year's Eve began 2015 by spending a lot of money with Uber. Uber had a price surge on Thursday morning from 12:30 a.m. to 2:30 a.m., which multiplied the base fare for many passengers. Passengers from all over the world were outraged by their fare receipts and posted them online to show how much they spent on the taxi service. Uber had warned users that prices would go up on New Year's Day since it's one of their busiest days of the year.
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Uber defies Boise, starts charging
Uber says it will continue operating in Boise despite a cease-and-desist order. Boise issued the order to Uber, a car service company that operates via a smartphone app, after it failed to meet certain city standards, city spokesman Michael Journee said Wednesday. Uber launched in Boise Oct. 2. As part of a promotion, rides have been free, though Uber paid drivers.
Read more from Idaho Statesman
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Uber suspends operations in Spain
Uber has called it quits in Spain, at least for now. Uber, the ride-booking company that has been plagued by vocal opposition from taxi associations and policy makers around the world, suspended its operations in Spain late Tuesday. The decision came in response to a judge's ruling this month that the company's low-cost service, called UberPop, did not comply with Spanish laws and potentially amounted to unfair competition for taxi drivers.
Read more from The New York Times
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Prosecutors: UberX driver told woman after sex assault, 'I made you happy'
UberX driver brought an intoxicated female passenger who fell asleep back to his apartment and sexually assaulted her, Cook County prosecutors said Tuesday, raising new questions about how the growing ride-sharing service screens its drivers. Tuesday's bail hearing for Maxime Fohounhedo, who allegedly attacked the 22-year-old woman in November, marked at least the second time this year that a former Uber driver has been accused of assaulting a female passenger in Chicago.
Read more from the Chicago Tribune
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Uber offers tips for not getting sexually assaulted by its drivers
Uber has been taking some heat lately for alleged bad behavior by some of its drivers, including two arrests for sexual assault in the last two months. The Chicago Sun Times reports that the company is now trying to help its customers avoid such experiences by adding a safety checklist to its app that offers tips passengers should follow to make sure they don't find themselves in a bad situation.
Read more from BGR News
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Lawsuit claims Uber pesters consumers with spam texts
James Lathrop used to look forward to getting text messages -- until Uber got his cellphone number. The San Francisco-based ride-sharing company has allegedly bombarded him with at least 19 texts in the past two months, urging him to sign up as a driver. Fed up, he joined a lawsuit aimed at stopping the incessant texts.
Read more from San Jose Mercury News
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Uber loses bid to withhold CEO emails in gratuity lawsuit
A federal judge rejected Uber Technologies Inc's bid that it not be required to disclose emails from Chief Executive Travis Kalanick in a California lawsuit accusing the popular ride-booking service of deceiving customers about how it shares tips with drivers. U.S. District Judge Edward Chen's order in San Francisco was the latest setback for Uber, which has drawn criticism around the globe over whether its service complies with local licensing and safety laws and whether its drivers have been adequately vetted.
Read more from Reuters
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 | | 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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