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.

The sharing economy's increasingly exposed liabilities and hidden assets

Recent headlines depict a road full of hazards ahead for the newly chic sharing economy.  There is no signal in sight that assaults on the foundations of this entrepreneurial business model, also called the "gig economy" and "collaborative consumption", will abate. From assertion of employee rights to regulatory challenges purportedly aimed at maintaining a level playing field, myriad legal threats to attempts at disruption of the status quo confront companies like Uber, Lyft, Airbnb and even FedEx.

Read more from Forbes

Uber, Santander partnership on car loans is over

A partnership between Uber Technologies and Banco Santander SA's U.S. auto loan unit is over, Uber told Reuters, removing one of the country's most prominent car lenders from a program trumpeted by the app-based ride service. Uber launched a program in November 2013 to link prospective drivers who do not have a car with manufacturers and lenders, in the hopes it would boost the number of cars on the road for the app-based service. 

Read more from Reuters

Uber, Lyft face disability access questions from Massachusetts

The Massachusetts attorney general's office is examining how Uber and Lyft ensure equal access for people with disabilities, a spokeswoman for the attorney general told Reuters, adding to numerous other business issues facing the two companies. Disabilities rights activists have questioned how Uber and Lyft drivers handle passengers in wheelchairs and the blind, but the Massachusetts inquiry appears to be the first from an attorney general, opening a new area of scrutiny for the companies.

Read more from re/code

Blind man denied Uber ride because of service dog

A Madison man said he was discriminated against by his Uber driver. It was his first time trying to use Uber and he said it could not have been a worse experience. Dave Tolmie and his dog, Divit, have been a pair for the last 5 and a half years, and Divit is far from your average dog. "If you tell him to do something and he thinks it's too dangerous he'll actually stop and not let you do it," said Dave. Divit is a seeing eye dog. Dave was born legally blind, and said Divit changed his life. 

Read more from NBC15 Madison

10News tracks down man running Uber knock-off business

Prince Reza Shah has been the center of one of the top trending stories on 10News all week. We tracked him down to ask why he's using the Uber name for his own personal ridesharing service.  A trademark attorney tells 10News anyone can use a name like Uber, unless the company itself has a problem with it. They can demand that person stop using it, and if they don't, they'd have to file a civil suit and take the matter up in court.

Read more from ABC10 News San Diego

Toronto cab drivers sue Uber for $300 million

Toronto cab drivers are suing the ride-hailing app Uber for over $300 million in damages and seeking an injunction to get the startup out of the Canadian city. The class-action lawsuit, which specifically targets the low-cost UberX service, covers all cab drivers in Ontario, according to the law firm representing the drivers. Uber said the suit was without merit. An earlier attempt by the city of Toronto to remove Uber from the city was rejected by an Ontario court. 

Read more from Time

Facing regulatory roadblocks, Uber ramps up its lobbying in California

Uber now spends more on lobbyists in California than Wal-Mart, Bank of America or Wells Fargo. And for good reason: The 6-year-old ride-hailing company needs powerful friends as it faces two serious regulatory challenges in the state - a move to reclassify its drivers as employees, not independent contractors, and a demand to turn over to state officials data on every Uber ride. Those are only the latest public fights threatening to slow the firm's lightning-quick international expansion.

Read more from The Los Angeles Times

State bill would toughen rules for ride-hailing firms

Two Boston lawmakers filed a bill that would require stricter regulations on companies such as Uber and Lyft, just months after Governor Charlie Baker proposed legislation that would allow the companies' drivers to operate under a new category of state supervision. Like Baker's legislation, the bill proposed legitimizes ride-hailing companies by creating a legal term for them: "transportation network companies." 

Read more from The Boston Globe