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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| | Cincinnati Police investigating after woman said Uber driver assaulted her |
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Uber accused of missing driver's criminal record in alleged sexual assault
Uber background checks failed to detect the criminal record of a driver accused in the sexual assault of a female passenger last year, according to a lawsuit that charges the ride-hailing company with neglecting the safety of its female customers. The lawsuit, which was originally filed in October by two unidentified plaintiffs, accuses Uber of conducting inadequate background checks on its drivers.
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Prosecutors back fingerprinting of Uber, Lyft drivers
Prosecutors have joined with chiefs of police to back a proposed requirement that drivers for ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft undergo fingerprinting as a necessary step to ensure the safety of the public. "We see no reason why the public should have fewer safeguards when they're interacting with Uber and other companies than they would with more traditional transportation companies like taxis. This is no longer a small segment of our transportation system," Berkshire District Attorney David Capeless, president of the Massachusetts District Attorneys Association, told the News Service.
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Stolen Uber accounts worth more than stolen credit cards
Cybercriminals don't care that much about your credit card number anymore. Uber, PayPal and even Netflix accounts have become much more valuable to criminals, as evidenced by the price these stolen identifiers now fetch on the so-called "deep Web," according to security company Trend Micro. Stolen Uber account information on underground marketplaces sells for an average of $3.78 per account, while personally identifiable information (PII) was listed for $1 to $3.30 on average, oddly down from $4 per record in 2014, according to data compiled by Trend Micro for CNBC last week.
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Hong Kong Uber drivers fined over licences
Two Hong Kong Uber drivers were fined Friday after pleading guilty to driving without proper licences, the latest slap on the wrist for the global ride-sharing giant. The pair were among seven Uber drivers arrested in Hong Kong in an undercover police sting in August, as the burgeoning company encounters regulatory roadblocks around the world. The sting came after furious cabbies in Hong Kong smashed up their own taxis with hammers and drove slowly towards the government headquarters over the summer, calling on the authorities to act over unlicensed drivers.
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Nationwide class-action lawsuit that could end Uber, Lyft hits Tampa
In fall 2014, Fequiere Frederic became one of the infamous Uber and Lyft drivers charged with a misdemeanor in Hillsborough County for providing public transportation without a license. Now, Frederic has made a move against Lyft as part of a class-action lawsuit in U.S. District Court Middle District of Florida that accuses ridesharing companies of violating state and federal laws because of how they treat their drivers.
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Lawyer fights for the gig economy's little guy
Shannon Liss-Riordan made a name for herself defending workers against FedEx, American Airlines and Starbucks in wage and hour lawsuits. If you're a business executive and she's knocking at your door, it probably means your company has been accused of doing something few Americans have much tolerance for: ripping off the little guy. Silicon Valley companies may think they're a breed apart, but to Liss-Riordan, too many of them are too similar to the big corporations she's fought in the past, companies she says flout labor laws for profit at the expense of low-wage workers.
Read more from the Los Angeles Times
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Trouble brews as taxis confront uber at LAX
Uber started transporting passengers from LAX, cutting into taxi drivers' opportunities and prompting taxi drivers to slam the ride-sharing company for lax security procedures. William Rouse, general manager of Yellow Cab of Los Angeles, the largest taxicab company in the city, told Southern California Public Radio, "They continue using a weak background check system that does not even have the possibility of considering convictions that are over seven years old. There's no doubt that there are certain consumers who choose [ridesharing companies] in spite of their obvious risks."
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How Uber drivers could trip up CEO Travis Kalanick
The behemoth ride-sharing service Uber has jolted city after city like a mighty earthquake. It has gained a momentum that seems almost unstoppable. Some say it portends the future of the U.S. economy. At the least, taxi companies and their antiquated medallion system are being crushed. And yet Uber may not be as invincible as it seems. As CEO Travis Kalanick fully knows, Uber's success or failure will hinge on one major "input" into its business: its drivers.
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Facing a price war, Uber bets on volume
It's becoming a bit of a holiday tradition for Uber: ringing in the new year by lowering fares. Amid a price war with rival Lyft, the ride-hailing leader reduced its rates by 10 percent to 45 percent in 100 cities across North America. In Detroit, Uber drivers' per-mile rate is less than it takes to cover their gas and the depreciation of their cars, according to IRS figures. "It's depressing," says Bill Scroggins, an Uber driver in Indianapolis. "I'm not even sure I want to drive anymore. It feels like I'm doing it for free."
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