NewsWatch
  Keeping a critical eye on Uber, 
Lyft, Sidecar, et al

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.

Police: Woman assaulted by Uber driver, 911 call released
A female Uber passenger was allegedly assaulted by her driver in the middle of August. Police say the passenger called 911 August 16 at 5:50 a.m. Detective Eric Bergen with Avon police says 911 got a call from a distressed female, stating that she had been sexually assaulted by an Uber driver. According to police, the driver had picked her up on the south side of town in the Highland Park development. She was allegedly sexually assaulted during the ride on her way home. 
Uber driver runs passenger over for talking on her phone
A 24-year-old woman in Australia claims that an Uber driver violently attacked her for talking on her phone during her drive. The woman, Sascha Pangallo, was using the ride-sharing platform on her way home from work when the driver started screaming at her, before dragging her from the vehicle and running her over, the Daily Mail reports. She suffered a suspected broken leg and a blood clot, as well as skin abrasions and bruises. The driver apparently fled the scene after running Pangallo over and has since been removed from the company.
Kidnappers are posing as Uber drivers
"Never get into a car with a stranger," is the mom-and-dad mantra many of us grew up with, but one little smartphone app has made millions of users forget that age-old wisdom with some very scary consequences. Over the past month, there have been two incidents of pretend Uber drivers nearly kidnapping unsuspecting women, the website Fusion reported. On August 30, Florida State Police arrested Antonio D. Warren after he picked up a college student outside of her dorm at Tallahassee Community College, the Tallahassee Democrat reported.
Fake Uber drivers allegedly coax female passengers into cars
Texas police are searching for a man who allegedly lured two female college students into his car by posing as an Uber driver, a potential black eye for a ride-hailing service that has seen some of its drivers accused of assault. Texas Christian University police say a man picked up the two students at 2 a.m. after claiming his fare didn't show up, according to CBS's Dallas-Fort Worth affiliate. 
Driven to succeed: Is Uber worth the hype
Uber may already be the world's most valuable tech company with a footprint in 60 cities around the world and over 160,000 drivers, but for a six-year-old firm that has never turned a profit, the $50 billion dollar question remains: Do the numbers add up? Mark Hawtin, who manages the GAM Star Technology fund, is not convinced. "I would not be buying at these levels," he tells CNBC. "In order to justify the current valuation, Uber would need to achieve around 30 percent share of the global taxi market."
California: Former Uber driver was an employee
Uber, the app-based ride-hailing service, classifies its drivers as independent contractors, not employees, but this position has been undermined yet again. The California Employment Development Department, which administers the state's unemployment insurance benefits program, has determined that a former Uber driver in Southern California was an employee, Reuters reported. 
Uber and Lyft must improve access for disabled riders, advocates say
The conference Andy Arias planned to attend on a recent weekday was less than a mile from his apartment in downtown Los Angeles, but he called an Uber to stay out of the oppressive summer sun. As Arias approached the sedan, the driver saw that he was in a wheelchair. He recalls telling her that he could slide into the back seat on his own, and she would only need to stow the folded, 10-pound wheelchair frame in the trunk. But she refused to get out of the car. Eventually, a bystander lifted the wheelchair into the trunk.
Aldermen want proposed Uber surcharge to surge during surge pricing
Two of the Chicago City Council's most powerful aldermen moved to level the playing field between ride-hailing services and taxicabs - by slapping an escalating surcharge on surge-pricing during periods of bad weather and peak demand. Finance Committee Chairman Edward Burke has already persuaded Mayor Rahm Emanuel to include a $1-a-ride surcharge on ride-hailing services in the massive package of tax increases included in the mayor's 2016 budget.
Uber Taxi service banned in S�o Paulo, Rio De Janeiro pending mayoral approval
Brazil's largest and richest cities have voted to ban app-based taxi services like Uber that critics say unfairly dodges local regulations. City councilors voted 43-3 in favor of a ban in S�o Paulo, Brazil's financial capital. On Aug. 25,  city councilors in Rio De Janeiro voted 41-1 in favor of a similar measure, though punishments differ in both proposals. 
Uber drivers' fines top $2.8 million
After a year of South Florida operations, ride-hailing service Uber is approaching legal status. But in the months it took to get there, its drivers racked up at least 3,321 citations in three counties. Even as local elected officials worked on new regulations that recognize Uber as something different than a taxi company, county enforcers were busy handing out two citations for each driver caught - one for the driver, one for the unlicensed vehicle.
Lawsuit against Uber seeks pay and benefits for 20,000 drivers
Uber is boss - not just in the taxi industry but to its drivers, a new suit charges. In a first of its kind class action suit in New York, two former Uber "driver-partners" - Olasapo Ogunmokun and Mazoor Mumin - say that Uber "exerts significant control over its drivers." As a result, the suit says, the drivers are not independent contractors but employees, entitling them to benefits like minimum wages and reimbursed expenses.
Uber's corporate insurer sues Uber over Sofia Liu settlement
On new year's eve 2013, an Uber driver in San Francisco hit and killed a 6-year-old girl who was walking with her mother and young brother. As we reported at the time, Uber denied responsibility for the accident, arguing that while driver Syed Muzzafar was logged on to the Uber system, he didn't actually have an Uber passenger in his car at the time he killed the child. Later the family of the victim filed a lawsuit against Uber and the driver for wrongful death, negligence and negligent infliction of emotional distress. 
CHP officer shot during traffic stop in West Covina; 1 suspect in custody
A California Highway Patrol officer was wounded after being shot during a traffic stop in West Covina. Officers attempted to pull over a Cadillac Escalade for a traffic violation on the 10 Freeway at Sunset and Garvey avenues. After the officers pulled the car over, a man exited the Escalade and fired a shotgun at officers, who returned fire, investigators said. One of the two officers was injured. That's when the officers called for backup. Officials said the suspect's vehicle is registered to the suspect, and it has an Uber sticker on the windshield.
FCC demands Lyft stop robocalls, automated texts
The Federal Communications Commission cited ride-sharing service Lyft on Sept. 11 for breaking consumer protection rules against unwanted robocalls and automated text messages. According to the FCC, Lyft's app prevents users from accessing the service if they decide not to accept automated marketing calls and text messages. The agency claims that this is against the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. The terms of service of Lyft state that users can choose not to receive robocalls and automated text messages through options to unsubscribe from them.
Four Things About Uber You Wish You Never Knew
Four things about Uber you wish you never knew
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