NewsWatch
Keeping a critical eye on Uber,
Lyft and other transportation
network companies
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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 and fair commerce from so-called ride-sharing or ride-booking services such as Uber and Lyft. Visit the Archive to read previous editions.
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Uber driver busted for DUI, with camera rolling
An Uber driver was observed being pulled over on suspicion of driving while drunk. CBS 2's Dana Kozlov wanted to know: Can that driver keep driving for Uber? Thirty-five-year-old Ricky Leblanc took a breathalyzer alongside the Dan Ryan Expressway. It didn't go well. Leblanc was arrested for DUI and his car - Uber sticker on full display - was towed away.
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Ex-Uber driver charged with trying to extort money from passenger
A former Uber driver pleaded not guilty to trying to extort money from a passenger in order to get her phone back, then nearly running her over when he fled the scene in West Hollywood last year, prosecutors said. Los Angeles County prosecutors say that Philip Bagwell, 46, who was convicted of grand theft in 1990 and 1998 and forgery in 1991, was an Uber driver in July 2015 when he picked up a woman headed to a West Hollywood comedy club.
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Uber deactivates Florida driver who reportedly pulled gun on passenger
An Uber driver was arrested after a report that he pulled a gun on a passenger in Bradenton, Fla. A Manatee County Sheriff's Office release said Patrick McDonald, 67, faces aggravated assault and battery charges following an altercation with a customer. According to the report, the victim asked McDonald to pull over during their trip because he felt ill. McDonald obliged. Once the victim said he was ready to continue the trip, McDonald made a comment about the price of his vehicle and tried to pull the victim out of the backseat.
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Uber driver attacks pregnant woman's service dog: cops
An Uber driver yanked a nine-months-pregnant passenger's service dog from her and slammed the pooch onto a Manhattan street because he did not want the animal in his car, cops said. The 30-year-old Manhattan woman got into Muhammad Qayyum's cab with her dog, named Brooklyn, at around 7:25 p.m. on Broadway near West 56th Street on Jan. 21, police said. "I will not take your dog in my car," Qayyum, 23, told the woman, according to cops. Mojeh Adams Schaniel told the driver that the silky terrier is her service dog, but Qayyum didn't care.
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'I nearly passed out': A $640 Uber ride for a 30-mile trip to the airport
Bonnie Lieb said she expected to pay more than usual for an Uber ride from her Sterling, Virginia, home to Reagan National Airport. With her car still covered in two feet of snow and her street unplowed, she said, she agreed to pay the Uber surge price of 4.4 times the normal fare. Neighbors had said an Uber ride to the airport typically cost $50 to $70, so she figured she had agreed to pay about $250. So Lieb said she was floored when she got through the security checkpoint at Reagan, checked her email and saw her emailed Uber receipt: $640.94 had been charged to her American Express card.
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Uber's bid to pause suit by California drivers group rejected
Uber Technologies Inc. lost its bid to pause a lawsuit by California drivers demanding to be treated as employees that has grown dramatically in both size and potential liability. The U.S. Court of Appeals in San Francisco this week rejected Uber's request to halt all proceedings in the class action while it seeks an order overturning a judge's Dec. 9 ruling that added more than 100,000 drivers to the class action.
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California regulators propose new round of rules for Uber, Lyft
Nearly two weeks after California regulators struck Uber with a $7.6 million fine, the California Public Utilities Commission proposed an updated set of guidelines for ride services that stop short of requiring more rigorous background and fingerprint checks for drivers. But other proposed rules would tighten restrictions on vehicle inspections and require proof of commercial liability insurance.
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Lyft reaches $12.25 million deal with drivers in employment battle
Lyft may have agreed to pay $12.25 million to settle a lawsuit with California drivers who had been seeking the crucial right to be classified as employees, but the pact does not settle the central legal question raised in the case that hangs over the so-called sharing economy. Under the terms of a deal outlined in court papers, Lyft will not reclassify its drivers as employees, a move that would have required the San Francisco ride-hailing company to overhaul its business model to provide drivers with benefits such as minimum wage and reimbursement for driving expenses.
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In the battle between Lyft and Uber, the focus is on drivers
Hundreds of thousands of people drive for Uber in the U.S. The ride-hailing company has had high-profile fights in courts and city halls over the status of these drivers: Are they employees or contractors? Can they unionize? A fight that's gotten far less attention - one that may affect drivers far more - is the competition between Uber and its main rival, Lyft. Competition for drivers is so great that, about a year ago, Uber sent covert operatives into Lyft cars - to recruit.
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Uber CEO blocking drivers on Twitter for protesting fare cuts
Uber recently cut fares in over 100 cities, and while users are enjoying cheaper rides, drivers are scrambling to make ends meet. As the Observer reported last week, the cuts have slashed their earnings. Many are now making below minimum wage or no money at all, so they've begun protesting. Drivers have held rallies all over the country, have quit driving for Uber, and many have even switched to Lyft. Drivers have also reached out to the company on social media in an attempt to be heard, but Uber is shutting down that channel of communication.
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| | Four things about Uber you wish you never knew |
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