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's business model under fire

A crop of tech startups, including Uber and Lyft, that employ armies of contractors instead of direct employees is drawing scrutiny from Washington, where lawmakers and other officials are raising concerns about the way "sharing companies" are regulated. Critics from across the political spectrum - from liberal Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) to a Republican member of the National Labor Relations Board - are signaling it may be time to overhaul regulations for companies that avoid paying benefits by classifying their workers as contractors.

Read more from The Hill

Uber and Lyft drivers would need $1 million insurance in Louisiana

Drivers for rideshare services like Uber and Lyft will have to carry hefty insurance policies in Louisiana, under a bill headed to Gov. Bobby Jindal's desk. Rideshare services connect contract drivers, who frequently use their personal cars, with passengers through a smartphone app. These providers have drawn scrutiny in cities around the U.S. where they operate, often because of safety issues that arise from the lack of regulation.  

Read more from The Associated Press

The Hamptons will be Uber-less this summer, thanks to new law

Uber-rich East Hampton will be Uber-less this summer. The on-demand ride app zoomed out of the tony Long Island town and its hamlet Montauk - a popular summer destination - when it hit a roadblock in a meeting with local officials over a new law. As Uber's drivers are independent contractors, the rules would have forced each one to have a business license and physical address in town. 

Read more from the New York Daily News

Are Uber's new privacy changes creepy or necessary?

Following in the footsteps of Google and Facebook, Uber is updating its privacy policies so they're easier to understand for those of us who didn't go to law school. But, there's one update to the terms that has everyone buzzing: The ride-hailing service is going to start tracking users' exact locations all the time, whether you're using the app or it's just running in the background. 

Read more from Refinery29

Woman says Uber driver called her a b*tch' and threw her onto the street

A woman says she was cursed out and then thrown onto the pavement by an Uber driver-and the company was slow to respond and won't even offer up her driver's full name for a police report. Jena, who didn't want to give her last name because she fears for her safety, told LAist she called for a driver just after 2:50 a.m. on Wednesday morning. Her driver, who the app identified as "Tim," attempted to turn the wrong way on a one-way street, which Jena called the driver on. In response, Tim called Jena a "f*cking b*tch." 

Read more from LAist

Jersey Shore Uber driver gets into backseat, fondles self

Police at the Jersey Shore are investigating after a woman claimed an Uber driver got into the back seat of his black car and inappropriately touched himself during a ride over Memorial Day Weekend. Avalon Police became aware of the caught-on-camera incident after a seasonal resident contacted them over the holiday weekend and reported ride-share driver's actions. The woman apparently captured part of the incident on her cellphone.

Read more from NBC10 Philadelphia

Off-duty Uber driver accused of driving drunk, causing fatal crash

An off-duty Uber driver is being blamed for a crash that killed a Gaithersburg woman. According to Montgomery County Police, Juan Diana, 34, of Silver Spring, was driving southbound along Muncaster Mill Road. After passing Olde Mill Run, police say Diana crossed the center line and struck Diane Corrao, 50, of Gaithersburg, head on. Diana's black Ford Fusion and Corrao's white Ford Taurus became an instant mangled mess of metal. 

Read more from WJLA

Uber taxis seized in Delhi for running without license

Delhi police said 120 ride-hailing taxis linked to Uber Technologies and two Indian operators have been impounded, as the companies did not have licenses to operate. The drive against these companies using Web-based technologies was the result of their continuing operations despite a prohibition on their services in the city until they obtained a license from the Delhi Transport Department, police said. 

Read more from IDG News Service

Op-Ed: Is your Uber driver an independent contractor or an employee? It makes a difference

Do Uber and Lyft merely provide an app, or a driver? For consumers, ordering car service - or lately, house cleaning, lunch delivery or dry-cleaning pickup - can be as simple as touching an icon on a smartphone. But when the people who actually do the work show up, are they merely independent contractors matched to consumers by a software company, or are they employees? 

Read more from the Los Angeles Times

Emanuel nixes Uber attempt to make airport pickups

For the second time in a year, Mayor Rahm Emanuel is stepping in to block a ride-hailing giant whose investors include the mayor's own brother from invading cabdrivers' turf at O'Hare and Midway airports. The Chicago Sun-Times reported that Uber has started an online petition drive tailored to persuade City Hall to let UberX drivers make airport pickups. 

Read more from the Chicago Sun-Times

Stop Uber, Lyft at airport to avoid 'anarchy on the curbs,' aviation director says

Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport is being swarmed by unlicensed, underground taxi drivers for the companies Uber and Lyft, Broward County's aviation director complained. He wants them stopped. They're taking up space in the public cellphone waiting lot, refusing to pay county fees and operating without the legally required licenses and permits, said Aviation Director Kent George, who warned that if the situation isn't rectified, "I will have anarchy on the curbs."

Read more from the Sun-Sentinel

Even as Uber, Lyft gain riders, drivers face $500 city fines

Next time an Uber driver picks you up in Boston, don't be surprised if a police officer pulls over the car. The violation? Being an Uber driver. As popular as ride-hailing services have become, and despite efforts by Governor Charlie Baker to legitimize them, companies like Uber and Lyft still operate in a legal gray area because their drivers have not been licensed locally as taxi or livery drivers. In Boston, driving without that license incurs a $500 fine. 

Read more from The Boston Globe