NewsWatch
Keeping a critical eye on Uber,
Lyft, Sidecar, et al
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| | Demand San Antonio Public Safety - Driver Background Checks |
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What's behind Asia's Uber-sized problem?
Just weeks after settling a dispute with New York City's mayor over limiting new drivers, Uber is once again making headlines but this time in Asia, where the controversial ride-sharing app is facing fresh legal accusations. Hong Kong police arrested five Uber drivers one year after the firm began operations in the city. Chief inspector Bruce Hung Hin-kau told reporters that the arrested drivers were charged with not possessing hire-car permits and third party risk insurance, both vital for driving a private car for reward in the city.
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For Uber, Lyft riders with disabilities, discrimination often comes included
Michael Forzano, 24, doesn't go anywhere without his yellow Labrador retriever. A software developer in Seattle, Forzano is blind, and in the five years he's owned his guide dog, Delta, he has not once been denied entry into a business establishment. That was before he tried hailing an Uber ride. This year alone, he's had seven Uber and Lyft drivers deny him service -- and drive off without him and his service animal.
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Uber's car leasing program might violate state rules, PUC says
The California Public Utilities Commission is looking into whether Uber and other ride-sharing companies are violating state rules by allowing drivers to use leased vehicles on the job. Uber last month announced a pilot car leasing program in California, Georgia and Maryland that will offer Uber drivers the option to lease a car. But the CPUC said car leasing does not appear to be covered by state regulations for transportation network companies.
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Uber drivers could earn thousands in benefits as full-time employees
According to a new analysis, Uber drivers in six major U.S. cities would receive paid holidays and health care benefits worth an average of $5,500 annually. Ever since the California Labor Commission ruled in June that former Uber driver Barbara Berwick should be considered an employee - not an independent contractor - there's been speculation of what will happen if the $51 billion unicorn loses its ongoing appeal of the non-binding decision.
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School teacher who worked as Uber driver accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting an intoxicated female passenger
A South Carolina middle school teacher working as an Uber driver has been accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a female passenger. Patrick Aiello, 39, allegedly picked up the 23-year-old woman and a male friend, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by The Post and Courier. Aiello dropped the man and the woman off, but she got back in the car after she realized she was too intoxicated to walk home in the dark and asked to be taken to her house a few blocks over.
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Uber driver accused of rape loses bail bid
An Uber driver accused of raping a 24-year-old passenger who had called for a late-night ride from Manayunk will stay in jail after a judge rejected his plea for lower bail. Calling the charges "very serious," Montgomery County Court Judge William T. Nicholas kept bail at $1 million cash for Abdellah Elkaddi, turning aside pledges of support from a dozen of the defendant's friends and family members, including his pregnant wife. Elkaddi, 46, of Northeast Philadelphia, was arrested hours after the woman said he attacked her early June 11.
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| | Jeff Shanker, President of the Limousine Association of New Jersey, discusses the various limousine and taxi laws in New Jersey and the safety concerns involved with Uber drivers who, he claims, have no proper background checks or insurance coverage. |
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Safety concerns raised over ride-sharing services
One of the early lessons children learn is to never get into a stranger's car. They carry that lesson into adulthood, with an exception for hailing a taxi. But what about lining up a ride via Uber, Lyft or another ride-sharing service? Safety advocates say they have serious concerns about the security of passengers in Uber vehicles, especially female passengers. Uber operates in more than 250 cities in more than 50 countries.
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For high-risk start-ups like Uber, big ambitions don't make losses any less unsettling
Uber is nowhere close to turning a profit, according to financial information leaked to Gawker: In 2013, Uber's fourth year in business, it lost $56 million on $104 million in revenue. Those losses nearly tripled in half the amount of time, while revenue growth only doubled: In the first half of 2014, Uber's fifth year, the company lost $160 million on $101 million in revenue. Pair that with a Bloomberg report that said Uber lost $470 million on $415 million in revenue over an undisclosed time period, and we have a clearer picture of Uber's financial health than we did before.
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Ride-sharing can void insurance
Ride-sharing services such as Uber could be leaving their Australian "partner-drivers" facing huge financial liabilities. That is because the drivers' motor vehicle insurance policies may not cover them if they are using their car for ride-sharing. It is a similar situation to those peer-to-peer house-sharing services such as Airbnb, where those letting out their houses may not be covered by their home and contents insurance.
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The criminal histories of these eight drivers got them dumped by Uber
Uber has cut ties with eight drivers who have criminal records, as it attempts to win approval to pick up passengers at Los Angeles International Airport. The drivers, who have convictions including assault, DUI and possession of child pornography, were identified in recent weeks by L.A. Yellow Cab, which has been lobbying strenuously against allowing Uber and other ride-hailing services into the airport.
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Stolen Uber passwords selling for 40 cents on the dark Net as prices plummet
The value of stolen Uber account information is plummeting. Usernames and passwords for the transportation service are going for 40 cents on the dark Net, more than half off the price the same credentials were going for after Uber accounts first went up for sale in March. Information from more than 6,100 Uber accounts has been sold by six vendors on the dark Net, the hidden criminal section of the Internet only accessible with anonymity software.
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| | Four things about Uber you wish you never knew |
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