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, Lyft accused of cutting corners on insurance
Accidents happen when taxi drivers are prowling for customers - even more than when they're dispatched to pick up passengers or taking them to their destinations. But when Portland City Commissioner Steve Novick recently submitted a new taxi deregulation code to the City Council, he proposed lower insurance requirements for Uber and Lyft drivers when they're on the hunt for passengers.
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City charges more Uber drivers
The city of Hamilton is charging more Uber drivers, but the popular ride hailing service is showing no signs of shutting down its local operations. "We are in the process of concluding our recent investigation into illegal operators that are driving for Uber," city spokesperson Ann Lamanes said in an email. "These of people that are operating a taxi service outside of the City of Hamilton Licensing Bylaw. Officers are in the process of laying charges."
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Former Uber driver charged with sexual assault of passenger in Colorado
A former Denver Uber driver accused of taking advantage of a passenger who fell asleep after a night of drinking is being prosecuted for sexual assault. Police allege that Luis Galeano-Bedon, 43, assaulted a 24-year-old woman as he drove her and a friend from a club to their hotel on Halloween night. According to court documents, Galeano-Bedon also drove the women to the club earlier in the night and gave them his cell phone number so he could pick them up when they wanted to leave.
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Is Uber safe? Background checks examined post-arrest of Denver driver
Following the arrest of another Uber driver in Colorado, regulators are investigating whether private background checks are effective. Under state law, ridesharing operations, such as Uber and Lyft, are not required to undergo the same CBI and FBI fingerprint background checks as taxi and limo drivers. "I had to go through a ten-year federal background check with fingerprints to be a cab driver," said Roger Harris, who has driven a taxi in Denver for seven years.
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Passenger: Uber driver 'literally about to murder me'
An Indianapolis woman says she feared for her life when an Uber ride turned into a vicious attack. The woman, who asked not to be named, said her driver attacked her Nov. 7 after she and two friends called for a ride in Broad Ripple. In a report filed with IMPD, the woman said they were late getting out to the car, and then changed the drop-off location from the woman's apartment to a grocery store across the street. The ride did not end well, she said.
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Uber sued by former worker seeking at least $44M on behalf of all Washington state Uber drivers
A former Washington state Uber driver has filed a lawsuit alleging he was wrongfully classified as an independent contractor by the ride-sharing company, meaning he hasn't received compensation and employee benefits he's owed, according to court records. The class action lawsuit, which originated last month in Washington state District Court but was transferred to federal court this week, seeks at least $44.5 million in damages on behalf of the more than 15,000 people who have driven for Uber in Washington state since the service launched here in 2011.
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Judge orders Uber to suspend its ride-sharing service
A court has decided to give Uber the red light, ordering the ride-sharing service to pull its drivers from Calgary roads. Uber was slapped with a temporary injunction at the request of the City of Calgary. A judge decided Uber was breaking a city bylaw. The city named 57 Uber drivers in its court documents who will no longer be allowed to pick up passengers. It wanted the private for-hire service parked until it meets safety, insurance and regulatory requirements.
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Lyft leak of financials show struggles of being number 2 behind Uber
On-demand ride app pioneer Lyft is heading back to the fundraising till, but its numbers may not look that rosy to investors. The company lost $127 million in the first half of 2015 on $46.7 million in revenue, according to a private fundraising documents obtained by Bloomberg. Lyft, the second-biggest U.S. ride-hailing service, is raising roughly $500 million as the company burns through tens of millions of dollars a month, according to a fundraising presentation compiled by Credit Suisse.
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FOX10 Special Investigation: Who's watching Uber?
FOX10 News is committed to your safety. We are digging deeper into how Uber operates on the Gulf Coast and how Mobile is regulating its drivers. It all started about four months ago when the Mobile City Council approved changes to its vehicle-for-hire ordinance. In it, Uber is listed as a "transportation network company," a separate classification from a taxi with its own set of guidelines. However, some people across the bay are questioning the safety and the legality of its operations.
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Pennsylvania judges propose record $50M fine against Uber
Judges for the Pennsylvania agency that regulates buses and taxis recommended a record $50 million fine against ride-sharing company Uber for operating in the state without approval. Two administrative law judges issued the decision, subject to approval by the Public Utility Commission, to punish Uber Technologies Inc. for rides by its subsidiaries from February 2014 until it received experimental authority six months later.
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Driver says Uber targeted his profile after he critiqued high-level executive
An Uber driver who critiqued the company's top-brass at a highly publicized event now tells the San Francisco Examiner he's facing backlash from the tech company. Eric Barajas, a Bay Area-based Uber driver who works in San Francisco, leveled criticism to Uber which garnered exposure in national news. The next day, he said, he was unable to get fares via the Uber app.
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New California data on ride services reveal rise in collisions and incidents
State regulators have analyzed and released a tiny glimpse of data submitted by Uber, Lyft and other companies - information the firms have carefully guarded because they claim it would reveal trade secrets. A report on some of the data was presented at a Nov. 5th meeting of the California Public Utilities Commission. The numbers indicate collisions and incidents involving ride service drivers are climbing. "If it's normalized by miles driven, you'd expect the number of incidents to be somewhat stable over time," said Juan Matute, associate director of UCLA's Institute of Transportation Studies. The increase is concerning, he said, "because that would be indicative of TNCs being less safe as they scale up."
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Clark County may backtrack on licenses for Uber, Lyft drivers
Clark County is back to square one in its effort to require business licenses for contracted drivers for ride-hailing companies Uber and Lyft. County Commission Chairman Steve Sisolak has requested that a license ordinance unanimously approved be reconsidered at its Dec. 1 meeting. What the commission decides may also affect a proposal under consideration by the Las Vegas City Council to require business licenses for contracted drivers working within the city limits.
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| | Four things about Uber you wish you never knew |
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