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

Uber is 'out of control,' says Michigan senator looking for reforms

Transportation network companies like Uber and Lyft allow users to summon a car from their smartphones, but some Michigan lawmakers want to make sure the drivers and cars are safe before Michiganders hop in. "I'm very concerned that Uber is out of control and would like some controls to be put into place. We're not trying to control the app, but I certainly think we could control the drivers," said Sen. Rick Jones. 

Read more from MLive

Unintended consequences - The real price of allowing TNCs in the marketplace

Much has been written about Technology Network Companies (TNCs) such as Uber, Lyft, and Sidecar. The media has extensively covered current affairs on TNCs from who they hire, how they store and use their customers' data, their business practices, and even how they lobby. It seems like not a day goes by that you don't come across an article questioning how these companies operate and interact as a professional for-hire transportation company.

Read more from Taxicab Times

Uber partnership with UN women's group hits dead end

It looks like a United Nations group devoted to women's rights won't be partnering with controversial car-hailing service Uber after all. "UN Women will not accept an offer to collaborate on job creation with Uber, so you can rest assured about that," the group's executive director, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, said last week during an event at the UN's 59th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW59) Uber, which has been attacked as both exploitative of workers and sexist, had trumpeted the partnership March 10, the day after the CSW59 conference started.

Uber's European woes continue as service gets banned in Germany (again)

Uber's hasn't been having an easy time of it in Europe just recently. The latest issue to land in the company's lap came as a court in Germany imposed a nationwide ban on the ride-sharing service. The injunction against UberPop was issued by legal officials in Frankfurt after a German taxi association complained that Uber drivers don't have the necessary permits to operate.

Digital Trends

Ohio lawmakers want Uber, Lyft to expand insurance coverage to drivers

Ride-sharing companies such as Uber and Lyft would have to provide primary auto insurance coverage for their drivers the entire time they're on their app, under legislation introduced in the Ohio General Assembly. Proponents of the bills, which resemble similar rules passed in California and Virginia, say they will make it easier to resolve accident claims involving ride-sharing drivers and prevent personal insurance rates from going up. 

Read more from Northeast Ohio Media Group

San Antonio: No Uber, Lyft drivers allowed on city streets

San Antonio is now saying that Uber and Lyft drivers without a city permit will not be able to use city streets on any trip originating in Bexar County. Police officials said last week that under a new ordinance, those drivers could drop off passengers inside city limits as long as the ride originated outside of the city. Drivers were prohibited from picking up passengers inside the city, although interim police Chief Anthony Treviņo said that drivers could pick up passengers at the AT&T Center because it is owned by Bexar County.

Read more from the San Antonio Express-News

There are good reasons why people love to sue Uber

Uber and lawsuits -  they just seem to go together. A new class action complaint was filed against the company over Uber's failure to secure drivers' data in a breach. In another court, a Northern California district judge ruled that a jury will decide if Uber's drivers should be classified as independent contractors or employees. And earlier a Memphis transportation company sued Uber and Lyft for operating without proper licensing and insurance. 

Read more from Wired

California taxis sue Uber, allege false advertising, unfair competition

Taxi drivers in California must submit to fingerprinting for criminal background checks. UberX drivers don't have to. Yet Uber Technologies advertises itself as "the safest rides on the road" and executives tout Uber as "safer than a taxi." That's deceptive advertising and has caused "significant harm" to the taxi industry, 19 cab companies in California claimed Wednesday morning in a lawsuit filed in federal court. 

Read more from the Los Angeles Times

The big hidden problem with Uber? Insincere 5-star ratings

I rode home with a stranger. He shot me a cursory glance in the mirror as I climbed into the backseat, but otherwise didn't acknowledge me. For the next 13 minutes, he jabbered away on a hands-free phone and I sat white-knuckled as we whipped around corners and barreled through stop signs. It was a five-star experience. Or at least that's what I reported to Uber when prompted to rate my ride. 

Read more from Wired

Man says phony Uber driver robbed him at gunpoint

A Uber customer has a warning for other users of the ridesharing app: verify the car and the driver before getting in. After leaving a local bar, Matt McMann said he was robbed at gunpoint after getting into what he thought was an Uber vehicle. "I've never had a gun pulled on me," he said. "Probably one of the scariest moments in my memory." McMann said when they were approaching his destination, the driver told him to give him his money.

Read more from Fox5 San Diego

Myrtle Beach police cite Uber taxi driver twice in one week for driving without business license 

An Uber taxi driver was cited by Myrtle Beach police twice in one week for driving without a business license, according to a police report. Police responded to a call about a driver operating without a business license about 1 a.m. Monday at Broadway at the Beach, authorities said. Officers saw the car headed toward Robert Grissom Parkway and did a traffic stop.

The State

Crash victim lawsuit: App use by Uber drivers is negligent and illegal

Erin Sauchelli, who was seriously injured by an Uber driver while walking in Manhattan, has filed a lawsuit claiming the app Uber drivers use to respond to hails causes driver distraction in violation of New York State law. The suit says driver Aliou Diallo was speeding and disregarded a traffic signal. It claims Diallo broke state law that prohibits using an electronic device while driving, and that Uber "knew or should have known that the use of the Uber App by Uber drivers, including but not limited to" Diallo was a violation of state code intended "to protect individuals from injury and death due to driver distraction and driver inattentiveness."

Streetsblog NYC