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This is 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. Click here to join our mailing list.

UBER SHOOTING SPREE
Gunman in Kalamazoo, Michigan, Worked as Driver for Uber
As authorities look for the reasons why a Michigan man allegedly embarked on a mass shooting spree over the weekend, the ride-hailing service Uber is addressing his record as a driver with the company. Critics say the episode could bring more attention to concerns about the fast-growing service, which has been dogged by controversy on the road to becoming one of the most valuable privately funded companies in the world.
Source: Kalamazoo Uber driver picked up fares between killings
The man accused of killing six people and injuring two more in a shooting rampage in Kalamazoo, Michigan, was an Uber driver who picked up and dropped off passengers between shootings, a source with knowledge of the investigation told CNN. The source, who is not authorized to speak to media, said investigators believe Jason Dalton was even looking for fares after the final shooting of a nearly seven-hour killing rampage.
Kalamazoo rampage among the worst Uber incidents
The Kalamazoo, Mich., shooting rampage is one of the most serious episodes of violence allegedly involving drivers with the Uber ride service, which has become a popular alternative to traditional taxi service, especially among young adults. Since the San Francisco-based company's start in 2010, Uber drivers have been accused of kidnapping, rape, assault and theft involving their passengers. Yet there have been few - if any - that have been on the scale of the bloodshed that occurred Saturday night in Kalamazoo.
Dalton's Uber fare: 'You're not the shooter, are you?'
An Indianapolis-area man visiting Kalamazoo Saturday night with his family said he ordered an Uber ride because he had heard there was someone shooting people randomly around town. But he had no idea his decision would bring him face-to-face with suspected killer Jason Dalton just minutes before Dalton was arrested. 
Kalamazoo shooting spree: What we know and don't know
For seven hours, the shooter drove from one target to another, police said, gunning down victims at random. And in between the shootings, he apparently picked up passengers for Uber. As families mourn the deaths of six people in Kalamazoo County, Michigan, one question looms above all else: Why? Why did the gunman do this?
OTHER NEWS
Uber driver accused of pulling gun on cab driver
Columbia, S.C., police are accusing an Uber driver of threatening a cab driver during an argument over a parking space. Wayne Vereen Barini, 45, is charged with pointing and presenting a firearm. The incident happened in Columbia's Five Points entertainment district. According to the victim, Barini was parked in a designated Checker Yellow Taxi parking space. Police say he repeatedly refused to move when asked, and finally pulled out a gun, racking the slide of the weapon and pointing it at the cab driver who was trying to get into the space.
Manhattan Uber driver arrested for beating passenger's service dog
An Uber driver was arrested after brutally beating a passenger's service dog in Midtown, dislocating the animal's hip and injuring its knee, police said. The passenger - a 30-year-old woman - got into the car with her terrier on W. 56th St and Broadway, according to cops. The driver, Muhammad Qayyum, told the woman she couldn't bring the animal in the vehicle, reports DNAInfo.
Attorney: 'A Lyft ride should end with a safe ride home, not an assault'
A Lyft passenger said her driver climbed into the back seat and assaulted her once she reached her house last month. The driver was charged, but the UNF student says that's not enough and now she's filing a lawsuit. Ismael Esa is facing misdemeanor battery charges after police said he groped the woman, but he's pleaded not guilty. The student has also filed a restraining order against Esa in addition to the lawsuit.
Uber's 10 worst actions-threats, lies, sexism & shady business deals
Uber has been in the headlines a lot lately, but it hasn't been good news. The company has been accused of being sexist, sabotaging the competition, abusing drivers and much, much more. To recap, here are 10 of the things Uber has come under fire for over the last few years.
For Uber rivals, it's all about the drivers
For some start-ups taking on Uber and Lyft, the road to growth is paved with happy drivers. Two companies - San Francisco's DriverCars, and New York's Juno - are trying to lure drivers disenchanted with the two dominant players in the ride-on-demand market onto their platforms. One of these start-ups, DriverCars, has even attracted an early investor in Uber - Keith Teare.
People are accusing Uber of stealing this startup's logo
When Uber released a new logo for its ride-hailing app earlier this month, the updated look received mixed reviews. Some people even noted that the "bits and atoms" icon resembled the logo of other companies including J.P. Morgan Chase. Lately, a growing chorus of people on Twitter are accusing Uber of copying the logo of another startup: CircleCI, a company that makes container software for computer programmers at Spotify, GoPro and Instacart, among other customers.
Woman charged $100 for 5 minute Uber ride in Raleigh
Uber rides are usually quick and convenient, so how does a 5 minute ride turn into over $100.00 worth of charges? Lauren Bridges was picked by an Uber driver and taken 1.26 miles in Raleigh. "We were like, let's just take an Uber so we don't have to pay for parking," Bridges said. The total Uber ride took a total of 4 minutes and 54 seconds and it cost $4.80. "Two days later I woke up to an email saying I owed $100 for a cleaning fee," she said.
Warning: Your Uber account could be hacked
When a text message warned Rachel Story the phone number on her Uber account had changed, she knew something was wrong. "I immediately thought, okay, somebody had hacked my Uber," she said. She tried accessing her Uber app. "It wouldn't let me log in. It kept saying my password was incorrect," she said. She had to reset the password to get in and spotted the new phone number associated with the account. "It was a phone number from Canada. Definitely not me!" she said.
Chicago woman says she was billed for Mexico Uber ride she didn't take
A Chicago woman was billed $40 for an Uber trip in Mexico, a surprising expense considering she had not been to Mexico. Dr. Jennifer Kim received an alert from the ridesharing app notifying her of a 728 peso Uber trip she said she never took. She forwarded the receipt to customer service. "They basically said, 'Sorry, you should think about changing your password,'" Kim said. '"Maybe you lent it to friend who used it while they were Mexico. A lot of people do that. Unfortunately, we're not going to be able to refund your money.'"
Uber shuts down service in Galveston
Uber, the popular ride-sharing service app, has been shut down in Galveston. The city council passed a new ordinance that has regulations for transportation services. During the first weekend of Mardi Gras celebrations, more than 100 tickets were issued to Uber drivers. An Uber representative said the new regulations "made it too difficult for drivers to make that extra money on a flexible schedule." 
Uber execs dodge bullet in France but criminal case reveals flaws in expansion strategy
During a two-day trial, Pierre-Dimitri Gore-Coty and Thibaud Simphal, the Uber executives facing criminal charges, struggled to remember internal documents and management decisions. According to critics, their inability to recall important events at Uber was a case of selective memory and a poorly disguised attempt to evade justice. "Again and again, they said they couldn't remember," Karim Asnoun, the secretary general of the CGT Taxis union, told GeekWire outside the courtroom. 
Lyft asks judge to stop Uber's 'witch-hunt' for trade secrets
Ride service Lyft asked a U.S. judge to prevent its biggest rival, Uber, from making further demands for confidential information, as part of a case about a data breach that affected as many as 50,000 Uber drivers. In court documents filed in the litigation, Lyft called Uber's data request an attempt "to conduct its own witch-hunt" and "to dig into its competitor's internal, confidential and trade-secret information." 
Uber's CEO says the company is burning $1 billion a year in China
It's no secret that Uber is burning cash in China, the only question has been how much. The answer, per a recent interview with Uber CEO Travis Kalanick, is more than $1 billion a year. "We're profitable in the USA, but we're losing over $1 billion a year in China," Kalanick said in a "fireside chat" in Vancouver, according to Betakit. 
Uber rate cuts leave many drivers making less than minimum wage, some switching to Lyft
While Uber is currently the most popular ride sharing company among riders because of the low prices and quick pickup times, the drivers may be getting the short end of the stick. Over the past few years, Uber has ran numerous advertisements stating that drivers can make over $30 an hour during peak times. According to Business Insider, Uber was even advertising in 2014 that a salary of $90,000 a year in New York City was possible.
Uber, Lyft regulation pondered by California committee
The on-demand economy, which lets you order a ride or other services with a tap of a smartphone, presents a vexing set of policy problems for lawmakers. Companies like Uber and Lyft have transformed how people get around and reaped billions in profits. They've also clashed with elected officials over what types of rules they should have to follow. The most prominent fight so far centered on insurance. 
Uber drivers and others in the gig economy take a stand
In the rapid growth of the online gig economy, many workers have felt squeezed and at times dehumanized by a business structure that promises independence but often leaves them at the mercy of increasingly powerful companies. Some are beginning to band together in search of leverage and to secure what they see as fairer treatment from the platforms that make the work possible.
Uber is using its US customer service reps to deliver its anti-union message
Last month, a group of Uber customer service representatives in the US received a script unlike any they'd seen before. For the most part, it was a survey on driver satisfaction, but at the end it switched to another topic: why a union wouldn't make sense for drivers. Uber's customer service reps were told they'd be using the script when contacting the company's drivers in Seattle. They received a spreadsheet that included the names of thousands of drivers, ordered from most to least active.
Why Uber Is Terrible - Cracked Explains