NewsWatch
Keeping a critical eye on Uber,
Lyft, Sidecar, et al
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UberX driver says he was abandoned by insurance, Uber after crash
CityNews reporter Cristina Howorun tells us that one UberX driver is claiming he was left high and dry after the car he was riding in crashed. Click on image at left to watch her video report.
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Prosecutors: Uber hired drivers with criminal records
Uber hired 25 drivers in Los Angeles and San Francisco with criminal records ranging from property crimes, sex offenses and murder, prosecutors said on Wednesday. "We are learning increasingly that a lot of the information that Uber has been presenting the consumer has been false and misleading," George Gascon, district attorney of San Francisco, where Uber is based, said at a news conference, the New York Times reports.
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Woman socked with $1,500 bill after Uber never closed out her ride
Unbeknownst to her, Virginia resident Jenny Partington just took the longest Uber ride ever. After using the service to travel a few miles across town to a friend's house, Partington was stunned to open the app six days later and see an email receipt totaling $1,537.13. Her trip had never been closed out, it turns out, and the meter had tirelessly continued to rack up charges. Making matters worse is the fact that the amount was immediately debited from Partington's checking account because she pays for rides using Paypal, according to Arlington Now.
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Detest Uber's surge pricing? Some drivers don't like it either
While Uber has built a multibillion-dollar business by connecting passengers with drivers via a smartphone app, few topics court more controversy than surge pricing, which typically happens during rush hour, bad weather, big events or on certain holidays. The company says this practice is critical to getting more drivers on the road when demand is at its greatest. But most Uber riders despise surge pricing.
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Another reason to avoid the Uber IPO
Last week, I told you that trying to get in on the IPO of Uber Technologies was a terrible idea, due to Uber's valuation. Now, however, I've come across several other reasons you want nothing to do with this stock when it goes public. The thing about Uber is that its strategy is to just enter markets and utterly scoff at regulations. The company just powers on through until it is challenged or gets thrown out of the market. The problem is that, while the strategy has worked for the company so far, it isn't a recipe for success for investors. Why should you take on all this risk? And yes, regulatory risk is substantial.
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Sex offenders, convicted murderer find jobs at Uber
What do registered sex offenders, a kidnapper, identity thieves and a convicted murderer have in common? Aside from being societal deviants, they all passed Uber's background checks in California. That's according to a civil complaint filed against Uber by the district attorneys for San Francisco and Los Angeles. The document alleges that Uber misleads customers about their safety and the quality of driver background checks. It's an amendment to a lawsuit filed in December against Uber.
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Police: Uber driver's real job may have been dealing drugs
An Uber driver may have been using his job for the past two years as a cover for his work as a drug dealer, police said. Artak Avakian, 23, was arrested at a home where a tipster told police of a prescription drug dealer. Avakian was released after posting $30,000 bail Wednesday and is scheduled to appear in court on Nov. 13. After receiving the tip, police say detectives conducted surveillance on the residence and detained Avakian after observing him in a narcotics transaction on Thompson Avenue.
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Most Torontonians want Uber drivers held to same standards as cab drivers: poll
The majority of Torontonians want the city to establish new ridesharing regulations that would effectively hold Uber X drivers to the same standards as licenced cabbies, according to a new poll from Mainstreet Research. The automated telephone poll of 7,323 Canadians found most Torontonians (63 per cent) are in support of creating ridesharing regulations that would apply to services like Uber while only a small percentage of residents (14 per cent) believe Uber drivers should not have to follow ridesharing regulations that would hold them to the same standards as taxi drivers.
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| | Four things about Uber you wish you never knew |
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