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  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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What You Need to Know About Uber's Insurance
What you need to know about Uber's insurance

Investors fawning over Uber should recall AOL's stumbles

January 10 marks the 15th anniversary of the announcement of a merger that most observers agree was just about the worst in history: the fusing of the start-up AOL and the venerable Time Warner. This year also marks AOL's 30th birthday as a company. Finally, it's also the 30th anniversary of a pivotal piece of research that we ruefully keep re-discovering with each entrepreneurial boom that comes along. 

Read more from the Harvard Business Review

What happens to Uber drivers and other sharing economy workers injured on the job?

Omar, a 32-year-old Uber driver, was working a typical late-night shift in Los Angeles last month when his ride veered from pleasant to violent in just a few minutes. An argument broke out, and Omar said one of the passengers hit him with a shiny object, broke his jaw in two places and landed him in the hospital for a week. But as an independent contractor, just like almost all workers in the sharing economy, Omar isn't entitled to workers' compensation, which is designed to pay for work-related injuries and lost wages.

Read more from Forbes

Insurance could make road bumpy for Uber and Lyft

Lately, it seems the bad headlines about ride-sharing companies don't let up. Safety concerns have plagued companies like Uber, Lyft, and Sidecar. But there's one controversy that has percolated behind the scenes: the one about who is insuring these drivers. As more people use their own cars to ferry customers around, connecting to them with apps, insurers are pushing back. 

Read more from The Boston Globe

Broward County considers suit against Uber and Lyft

Broward County will consider suing ridesharing companies Uber and Lyft for operating illegally, according to the county commission's Jan. 13 meeting agenda. The county's attorney sent cease-and-desist letters to the California-based companies in December. County officials have been fining Uber and Lyft drivers, and impounding cars for months for operating without the proper for-hire vehicle permits. 

Read more from the South Florida Business Journal

Driver who fatally struck golf instructor worked for Uber

The driver who fatally struck a rising-star golf instructor on the Upper East Side worked for Uber - and was on his way to pick up a fare when the crash happened, The Post has learned. Aliou Diallo, 45, was driving a black Mercedes SUV when he hit Wesley Mensing, 27, of Scotch Plains, NJ, on East 62nd Street, authorities said. 

Read more from the New York Post

Top German court deals blow to Uber complaint

Germany's highest court has declined to hear a complaint brought by online taxi service Uber over a ban on its activity in the city of Hamburg, dealing a blow to the company. The Federal Constitutional Court said the complaint was "not accepted for a decision due to lack of admissibility," a spokesman for the court said, adding that the court had given no further justification for its position. 

Read more from Reuters

Uber's clever, hidden move: How its latest fare cuts can actually lock in its drivers

Uber's at it again. The car-service company is cutting fares in 48 cities across the U.S., hoping the low prices will fatten up ridership during the cold winter months - and this time, it's also hoping the fine print will lock in its drivers and keep them away from rivals, especially Lyft. It's hard to believe it's only been a year since Uber started its great fare-slashing war with Lyft. 

Read more from Forbes

Four Things About Uber You Wish You Never Knew
Four things about Uber you wish you never knew
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