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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Out-of-control Uber plows into mom, young kids waiting at bus stop
An Uber car jumped a curb in The Bronx and plowed into a mom and four children as they waited for a school bus, authorities and witnesses said. Gianerrys Heredia, 34, her son Miguel, 5, her daughter Camila, 8, and two kids ages 7 and 11 were struck by the 2014 black Toyota Camry. Miguel, writhing with a broken leg, looked on as rescuers pulled his mom and sister from beneath the car.
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Hacked Uber accounts being used in China
Hacked accounts of the car service provider Uber are being used in China. Customers with legitimate Uber accounts are complaining about money being deducted from their accounts for payments to Uber rides in China. A recent report show that fake drivers and passengers were responsible for the growth of the company in China. People have been tweeting about the issue: "@Uber I had a great ride in China this morning! Except, weird, I wasn't in China this morning".
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Nevada transportation regulators investigate 2 incidents involving Uber drivers
Transportation regulators are looking into two incidents involving Uber drivers that have prompted the company's critics to say, "I told you so." The Nevada Taxicab Authority investigated a rear-end collision of a car driven by an Uber driver into the back of a Yellow Cab taxi. In a separate unrelated incident, Nevada Transportation Authority officers impounded the car of an Uber driver after he allegedly attempted to offer a ride while not on the Uber platform -- which not only is illegal, but prevents Uber from getting its cut of the fare.
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Uber stiffing drivers on tips, car expenses: class-action suit
Two more Uber drivers have revolted against the app-based ride-hail company, claiming that they're getting stiffed. Jose Martinez, of the Bronx, and Jose Ortega, of Brooklyn, say Uber has wrongfully denied them tips and forced them to pay for car expenses, like gas and repairs, according to their class-action lawsuit filed Thursday in Brooklyn Supreme Court.
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For Uber, loyal drivers and a new fight for benefits
As Uber wages its battle to change Miami-Dade's taxi laws and operate legally, it also has recruited a growing fleet of drivers happy for the quick cash that the car service brings. Now it's facing a new skirmish: whether an ex-driver can collect unemployment insurance. Florida notified Cutler Bay's Darrin McGillis that he was in fact an employee of Uber while driving for the company earlier this year.
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Bid to unionize Uber, Lyft advances
Seattle City Council members voted 7-0 in a committee to move ahead with a bill that would help independent-contractor drivers for companies like Uber to unionize. The proposed legislation, approved by the council's finance committee, would require taxi companies, for-hire vehicle companies and app-based dispatch companies such as Uber and Lyft to enter collective bargaining with organizations representing drivers.
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Chicago Uber-cabbie battlefield moves to City Hall
The battle for equality between the taxi industry and ride-booking firms continued when Chicago cabbies and Uber drivers flooded City Hall for a hearing over new fees and policies. The Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection's hearing addressed Mayor Rahm Emanuel's plan for new fees on ride-hailing services and taxis, including a 50-cents-a-ride levy for both services, a potential 15 percent fare increase for cab drivers and the opportunity for Uber, Lyft and Sidecar drivers to pick up passengers at McCormick Place and O'Hare and Midway airports for the first time.
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Uber facing more roadblocks in cities around the world
There is seemingly no end to ride-hailing service Uber's woes. The San Francisco-based company has faced regulatory problems and objections from local taxi drivers in countries around the world since it first launched. Last week it was dealing with a new wave of criticism and roadblocks from the UK, the Netherlands, Australia and Brazil. Proposed new regulations for private hire drivers could effectively halt Uber's operations in the UK, while drivers in New South Wales, Australia, have had their licenses suspended.
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The fight against Uber is getting violent in Brazil
Rio de Janeiro's Mayor Eduardo Paes signed a bill banning Uber in the host city of the 2016 Olympics, and São Paulo is also on the verge of banning the service for operating as an unregulated transportation service. Uber has over 5,000 drivers and 500,000 users since launching in Brazil a year ago, and aggression by politicians and taxi drivers alike has been mounting in lockstep with its growth.
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Uber under fire in Europe... again
Uber is having an increasingly tough time in Europe as authorities try to crack down on the tech-savvy taxi company. Here's what's happening right now in London, Paris and Amsterdam: London: The city's transport authorities are considering new rules that would create a lot more red tape for Uber, such as imposing a mandatory five-minute wait before passengers can start their journeys and barring the company from displaying driver availability on a map in its smartphone app.
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Has Uber already peaked?
The ride-hailing service Uber is unquestionably one of the defining phenomena of our digital era. But much of the excitement it generates in the investment community comes from the notion that its growth is unstoppable -- that sooner or later Uber will, well, reign uber alles. Indications are emerging, however, that Uber's growth faces some genuine natural limits.
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33 Uber interview questions you don't want to be asked
If you want to work at one of the hottest tech companies in the world, you will have to answer a few questions first. We've shown you how long Uber's application process can be: To become a general manager - someone who launches and leads a team in a new city for Uber - you'll be taking a timed, two-hour analytics test. For more creative positions at Uber, such as marketing manager, you may be asked to create a new marketing campaign for Uber.
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Background checks holding up Uber, Lyft deals with Sky Harbor
Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport officials are in negotiations with two popular ride-sharing services - Uber and Lyft. Airport spokeswoman Julie Rodriguez said the negotiations have hit a roadblock. Rodriguez said the companies are hesitant about requiring their drivers to undergo the same fingerprint background checks other taxi, limousine and shuttle drivers go through at Sky Harbor.
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Former Uber driver in Kansas City, Missouri, leading planned national strike against Uber
If the ride-sharing service Uber does not meet some drivers' demands for better wages, those drivers are promising a national strike on Oct. 16 through the 18th. Abe Husein, a former Uber driver who lives in Kansas City is organizing the national strike on Facebook . Husein said he was an Uber driver in Kansas City from March to August. After two months on the job, Husein realized that after expenses he was earning less than minimum wage.
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