NewsWatch
Keeping a critical eye on Uber,
Lyft, Sidecar, et al
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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.
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Uber updated fine print: It does not take responsibility for your safety
Somewhere along the way Uber has done a U-turn. And it does not augur well for the passenger. Mid-day reports that in a 10 September update of its terms and conditions, Uber has issued, what is in effect, a statutory warning to anyone using the service. "Uber does not guarantee the quality, suitability, safety or ability of third party providers. You agree that the entire risk arising out of your use of the services, and any service or good requested in connection therewith, remains solely with you."
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Uber ordered to publicize business practices
Uber has five days to reveal its secrets to the public, state regulators say. The order comes in a ruling from Judge Robert Mason of the California Public Utilities Commission, which regulates Uber, Lyft and other "transportation network companies." In his Sept. 17 ruling, Mason ordered Uber to refile legal answers about its business practices, which initially were heavily redacted for the public, to the CPUC within five days. CPUC spokesman Christopher Chow said Uber is not allowed to appeal the decision.
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Police official says Uber lied about vehicle inspections
Boston police Commissioner William B. Evans said the popular ride-hailing service Uber "out and out lied" to him when he questioned company officials about performing inspections on their drivers' vehicles. During an interview on WGBH radio, Evans said Uber representatives lied when they told him in his office that the company inspects the cars. Evans said that after he received assurances from Uber about the inspections, he tried to set up a time for one of his lieutenants to observe the process, to no avail.
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'Sledgehammer Shannon:' The attorney taking on Uber and others in the sharing economy
She's been accused of trying to shackle the sharing economy. Blamed for threatening an entire business model. Even denounced for destroying hundreds of flexible jobs. Yet Shannon Liss-Riordan, the powerhouse attorney who is leading the potentially far-reaching and highly charged class-action suit against Uber Technologies Inc. in defense of drivers, remains unfazed by the criticism.
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Uber driver sought in sexual assault case
Toronto police are asking for the public's assistance to identify an Uber driver accused of sexual assault. Investigators said a woman hailed an Uber vehicle through the ride sharing app. The driver took the woman to her home. Police allege that, when they arrived, he sexually assaulted the passenger. The man has been described as between the ages of 26 and 30, with short, black spiked hair, and a short chin-strap beard. His Uber profile is listed as "Amritpal," police said.
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Uber-nomics: Here's what it would cost Uber to pay its drivers as employees
When a California judge ruled earlier this month that a lawsuit brought by Uber drivers could go forward as class-action, it re-opened the biggest question about the hottest company in Unicornland: Is its business model legal? And if not, can Uber survive? The ruling has also reignited questions about whether the sharing economy, of which Uber is by far the largest participant and its poster boy, is fair to workers.
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Uber meets its match in France
Days after taxi drivers burned tires and snarled traffic across France in late June to protest Uber Technologies Inc., two lobbyists for the car-hailing firm walked into the offices of France's top cop. Mark MacGann, Uber's public-policy chief in Europe, said the company was willing to suspend its popular, low-cost Uberpop service, which relies on nonprofessional drivers. But he said the French government also should loosen rules on how to become a licensed driver for Uber's other services. French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve, normally soft-spoken, was livid, according to people familiar with the June 30 meeting. "You have made a mockery of the French Republic," he said. "There can be no conditions whatsoever. There is simply the law to respect. Period."
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Defying regulators, Uber launches service, files lawsuit
The long-awaited approval of ride-hailing in St. Louis did not mend the divide over what rules such services must follow, and Uber signaled it wasn't backing down as its drivers took to the streets in violation of the new regulations. The St. Louis Metropolitan Taxi Commission voted 7-1 to allow such services with the requirement that drivers be fingerprinted as part of a criminal background check - a mandate that Uber says is an onerous burden for its drivers.
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Dallas Uber drivers continue protest over company change
Uber drivers continued their protest against a new policy they say will cost them money. Uber's black service and SUV drivers protested outside the company's downtown Dallas headquarters. Hundreds of drivers gathered in Turtle Creek Park, refusing service during a busy period brought on by a Garth Brooks concert at American Airlines Center. Uber's black service and SUV drivers, who typically charge higher prices, received an email on Thursday stating they must now pick up passengers who are paying for the company's standard service, uberX, which is less expensive.
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Columnist Steve Lopez: After driving for Uber, he's keeping his day job
If I'm ever short on column material, I think I might turn on my driver's app and go fishing for fares. But money-wise, I didn't strike gold. My 12 fares ranged from $4 to $44, and the take for nine hours of work was $153.30. Not bad, but Uber's cut was $30.66, which left me with $122.64. That works out to $13.63 an hour, but let's not forget the cost of gas, which comes out of my pocket. That brought me down to $110 net, or $12.22 an hour. And I'm paying for the insurance and the wear and tear on my own car.
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Uber driver 'stopped and called police when gay couple started kissing in the back of his car'
Two gay men say they were booted out of an Uber cab and had the police called on them after kissing in the back of a taxi. Sam Simons and Santiago Figeuroa claim their driver hounded them for sharing a quick 'peck on the lips' as they were being transported through London.
They say the foreign born driver shouted 'man should not kiss man', before demanding the vacate his taxi just 1.14miles into their ride. When they refused, he phoned the police.
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| | Four things about Uber you wish you never knew |
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