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 bonds term sheet reveals $470 million in operating losses

Uber Technologies Inc. is telling prospective investors that it generates $470 million in operating losses on $415 million in revenue, according to a document provided to prospective investors. The term sheet viewed by Bloomberg News, which is being used to sell $1 billion to $1.2 billion in convertible bonds, doesn't make clear the time period for those results. 

Read more from Bloomberg Business

Uber passenger orders ride home, gets shot in foot

It's an easy app that gets you a cheap ride. But when a passenger, Marc Mermel, 60, ordered an Uber ride home he ended up in an ambulance rushing to the hospital. "We heard sirens, saw lights everywhere. We kept thinking, 'What is going on?'" said Clearwater Beach visitor Eileen O'Bradovich. "And we just started using Uber. I just downloaded the app last week," said O'Bradovich. 

Read more from WFTS Tampa Bay

California forces Uber and its rivals to bolster insurance

Starting July 1, California's strict new insurance rules for Uber and its ride-hailing rivals took effect. The law, passed close to a year ago, aims to clear up the ambiguity around when drivers are truly on the roads working versus just driving around in their private cars, and whose insurance kicks in as a result. That may sound wonky, but it's much more than legalese: as the tragic case that helped spur the legislation shows, it's a genuine matter of life and death.

Read more from Wired

Uber And Lyft sued over background checks: Driver says firms obtained reports without proper disclosure

Lawyers for Uber and Lyft might be sharing a ride to the same courtroom. The rival car-hailing firms, both based in San Francisco, are being sued by the same driver, who is accusing them of illegally obtaining credit reports and background checks while failing to follow proper disclosure and authorization procedures. 

Read more from International Business Times

Uber whistleblower exposes breach in driver-approval process

The taxi giant Uber is reviewing its systems in the UK after an investigation raised questions about the robustness of its approval procedures for driver documents. Drivers have claimed that as Uber expands rapidly, the system is vulnerable to cheating by those looking to save money following reductions in Uber's fares - a claim denied by the insurgent technology firm. 

Read more from The Guardian

After Uber ruling, pressure mounts to reclassify contractors as employees

The pressure on app-based companies to reclassify their contractors as employees is picking up, with more of them getting sued. The California Labor Commission ruled last month that a driver of Uber Technologies was an employee and not a contractor, when driving for the company, and was hence entitled to reimbursement on certain expenses. The ride-hailing company said it had appealed the decision.

Read more from PC World

Jeffrey M. Shanker / Uber and others need to follow rules for limos

When seeking a ride from a for-hire driver, all New Jersey residents should be able to rely on a few basic principles that ensure their safety as they are driven from pick up to their destination. Proposed revisions to Atlantic City's ordinances would bring much-needed public safety protections, ensuring the safety of passengers throughout the city. 

Read more from Press of Atlantic City