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 to pay $28.5 million in class-action settlement over safety claims
Uber has agreed to pay $28.5 million as part of a class-action settlement claiming that it misled riders with claims over the safety of its service. The settlement includes both two lawsuits, Philliben vs. Uber Technologies Inc. and Mena vs. Uber Technologies Inc. The lawsuits said that Uber misled consumers in claiming that its rides offered "industry-leading" safety, or "the safest rides on the road." Uber had also imposed a "safe rides" fee, which the company said was used for background checks and other safety measures.
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Uber drivers working up to 19 hours a day just to get by
New York City's Uber drivers stay behind the wheel up to 19 hours a day to make ends meet, and say the company's new fare cuts could make things even worse for them - and put passengers at risk. "I have to work 16 hours a day to make enough money to support my family,'' said Jugal Hinwar, 28, who has been an Uber driver for two years. "Last week, I worked 19 hours in one day, and I slept in the car at JFK." Another driver, Siraj Khondker, 55, described the dangers.
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Uber drivers face towing, fines at Newark Airport, Newark Penn Station
Newark's chief prosecutor has warned Uber Technologies Inc. that the company's drivers are repeatedly violating the city's taxicab ordinance, and that those operating at Newark Liberty International Airport and Penn Station in Newark will have their cars towed and face fines. "I have instructed our police department effective Feb. 22 to immediately tow Uber drivers operating in and around Newark Airport and Newark Penn Station," wrote Evans C. Anyanwu, the city's chief prosecutor, in a letter sent late last month to Salle Yoo, Uber's general counsel in San Francisco.
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Uber cuts prices-and kneecaps drivers
If anger sums up the mood of this election season, then some of it seems to have rubbed off on the city's Uber drivers. A crowd of 600 drivers gathered outside the Uber office in Long Island City, Queens, to protest a 15 percent reduction in fares last month, which also means 15 percent lower wages. That pay cut is on top of Uber's 20 percent slashing of fares in 2014. All things being equal, drivers who began less than two years ago have seen their pay tumble a whopping 35 percent.
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Uber's business in China is built on exploiting armies of underpaid, overworked interns
Interns in China are the latest group to complain about Uber's labor practices. The company's lean business model in China, former interns and a manager claim, relies on the exploitation of huge numbers of barely paid students and recent graduates, who toil up to 15 hours a day for as little as $5 a shift, and sometimes are paid nothing. These interns are tasked with signing up hundreds of drivers in one day, they allege, in addition to other tasks performed by employees in other countries.
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Uber driver 'pulls gun' on passenger in Florida
An Uber driver drew a gun after a passenger said he thought he was going to be sick in the car, according to police. Patrick McDonald told officers in Florida that he took out the weapon, despite the firm's firearms ban. The two got into an altercation when the driver tried to forcibly remove Shane Fabry from the car. Uber said Mr McDonald, 67, has been suspended and that it would co-operate with police.
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Killing of man driving car with Uber decal raises security concerns
The murder of a man driving a car with an Uber decal has raised security concerns. He was shot and killed at Griffin Avenue and North Broadway in the Lincoln Heights area of Los Angeles. According to the Los Angeles Police Department, the 35-year-old victim was not an Uber driver but had gang ties. The Toyota he was driving had paper plates. And police will not reveal who owns the car or if the Uber sticker was fake. But they said bogus decals do exist.
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On-duty Uber driver arrested for alleged DUI after watching Super Bowl at bar: Simi Valley police
An on-duty Uber driver had a blood alcohol level of .25 percent when he was arrested on suspicion of DUI in Simi Valley early Monday morning, hours after watching the Super Bowl at a bar, police said. An officer was on patrol about 1:40 a.m. when he saw a vehicle, which had no front license plate, slowing down as it approached a green light at the intersection of Stearns and Alta streets, said Cmdr. Robert Arabian of the Simi Valley Police Department's Traffic Unit.
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Omaha woman gets restraining order against Uber driver
Call it Uber-creepy. An Omaha woman has been granted a restraining order after a disturbing encounter with an Uber driver. The woman said that when she was dropped off at her house, the driver followed her inside briefly and returned later that day, and - among other things - stared at her home in the middle of the snowstorm. The protection order was granted. The woman, 29, took the Uber car ride home from a friend's house.
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Uber: The hits just keep on coming
The glory days of Uber are over. Uber is facing increasing headwinds as it enters 2016. Recent developments may be good news for taxi medallion financial industry players and those considering investing in Uber privately or a possible IPO should be cautious. Predatory Pricing:
With Uber facing increasing pressure from competition, and possibly from reaching equilibrium in some cities, it has cut prices in 100 North American cities. The cuts range from 10 to 45 percent.
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Kelso: Uber and Lyft? What a bunch of crybabies
Just who the heck do these ride-hailing companies Uber and Lyft think they are, anyway? Here their supporters were, trying to knock Ann Kitchen off the Austin City Council with a petition drive. She'd like an ordinance that calls for fingerprinting Uber and Lyft drivers so that we're less likely to get mugged. Lyft and Uber say that if fingerprinting happens, they're leaving town. What a bunch of crybabies. Boo-freakin'-hoo. Folks, don't let the cab door hit you in the butt on the way out.
Read more from the Austin American-Stateman
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