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.
In a hurting economy, selling plasma is part of their financial lifeblood
On a steamy October day in the town of Orange (Calif.), a white van with an Uber sign in the front window ran out of gas in the parking lot of a plasma donation center. Call it a snapshot, if you will, of an economy that for many folks continues to sputter. A woman named Crystal, who had just sold her plasma, lent a one-gallon gas can to the couple in the van.
Uber tips policy causing confusion, possibly lower passenger scores
Whether Uber drivers should be tipped or not is causing frustration for drivers and confusion among passengers, some of whom may be surprised to learn that tipping can impact their passenger ratings. It's clear from the responses we got to KPCC's query on social media asking whether users tip rideshare drivers that the views range from strong support to reluctance, with many confused about whether tipping is even allowed.
Lyft, Uber drivers' turnover high, wages low, survey finds
Most drivers for Uber and Lyft are newbies, according to a survey which reinforces the idea that many people who try driving their own car for hire don't stick with it very long. Ride-hailing clearly is "a business with a constantly refreshing workforce," said the report from SherpaShare, a service that helps drivers analyze their earnings. The survey of 963 active drivers found that almost two-thirds (65 percent) had been driving for six months or less, while 18 percent had been driving for less than two months.
What's holding up the start of Uber and Lyft pickups from LAX?
During his annual State of the City address in April, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti hinted that the logistical nightmare of getting home after a flight into Los Angeles International Airport would soon become easier. "By this summer, at my direction, ride-share companies like Uber and Lyft will be able to pick you up at the airport," Garcetti said. The promise drew some of the loudest applause of the night. But summer came and went, and travelers at LAX still can't go home using Lyft or UberX.
Uber said to plan another $1 billion in fund-raising
Just three months after raising an enormous sum of money from investors, Uber is at it again. Uber, a ride-hailing service, is planning to raise close to $1 billion in new venture capital from investors, according to people close to the matter. Investors are looking at a valuation of $60 billion to $70 billion. If successful, the round of fund-raising would make Uber the world's most valuable private start-up by far. 
Bill Gurley: 'All these private valuations are fake'
Venture capitalist Bill Gurley has a question for entrepreneurs who are shy about going public: What are you afraid of? Gurley -- who invests in tech firms like Uber and NextDoor -- said that's the message they're sending by staying private longer and longer. "We've got to go back to looking at the IPO as the objective," said Gurley at the Wall Street Journal tech conference in Laguna Beach, California. "What are you signaling when you tell people you are afraid to play?"
How Uber plays the tax shell game
The car-hailing phenom is viewed by many as the model for the 21st century corporation. You should see how state-of-the-art it is when it comes to minimizing its tax bill. The VCs were desperate to give him more money. It was the spring of 2013, and Uber CEO and co-founder Travis Kalanick was weeks away from negotiating a new round of venture capital financing that would multiply the valuation of his car-hailing startup by a factor of 10-from a mere $330 million to $3.5 billion. 
Gang trafficked guns using Greyhound and Uber, officials say
A Big Apple gun ring left the driving to Greyhound - and to Uber, officials with the NYPD and state Attorney General's Office said. The gang funneled 50 firearms from Southern states up to New York City, often on a bus, then took an Uber car from the Port Authority Bus Terminal to meetings with undercover cops posing as buyers in Brooklyn, officials said.
Ex-driver for Uber is convicted of raping passenger in New Delhi
A former driver for the ride-sharing service Uber was convicted by a Delhi court of raping a female passenger last year. The former driver, Shiv Kumar Yadav, was also convicted of kidnapping, in addition to rape while endangering the life of a woman, for the assault, which occurred in New Delhi in December. The passenger, 26, said she had fallen asleep in his vehicle and woken up in a secluded location with Yadav beside her in the back seat. Yadav faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Uber driver stopped off for condoms before raping passenger, court hears
A man claiming to be an Uber driver stopped off to buy condoms before raping a woman in the back of his car. Muhammad Naveed is accused of attacking the 22-year-old tourist in Sydney during the early hours of a Sunday morning. The court heard Naveed, 39, was caught on CCTV stopping at a BP garage while his victim slept in his car. Shortly after he is said to have turned off the engine and asked the passenger to move to the back seat.
Cadillac enlists lust, hedonism and car-sharing to fight off Uber
Cadillac - like all automakers - may have an uncertain future, but its president is as cocky as can be. He gave a lively speech last week at the J.D. Power Roundtable, outlining how Cadillac could hold off tech companies that are creeping into his market. He described Cadillac as being in "the pixie dust business." He spoke of people lusting after the Cadillac brand, and added that "we're about hedonistic." He had words for Uber, too.
Digital Hitchhiking: Think Before You App from Ride Responsibly
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