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  Keeping a critical eye on Uber, 
Lyft and other transportation
network companies

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.

What every parent needs to know
Do you know who's driving your child around? If you're using Uber to ferry them to soccer practice, music lessons or home from late night parties, the answer is no. The driver could be a registered sex offender, a kidnapper, a burglar - even a convicted murderer. All of these criminals got jobs with Uber after passing what the company hailed as its "industry-leading"background checks.
Uber customers want fingerprinting
As Austin, Massachusetts, Los Angeles, Atlanta, St. Louis, Kansas City, Michigan, Miami-Dade and Corpus Christi grapple with fingerprinting Uber and Lyft drivers, three separate polls find two-thirds of their customers want fingerprinting. The Taxicab, Limousine & Paratransit Association recently commissioned an independent national poll of 3,075 consumers in American markets where Uber and Lyft operate.
Airport aims to use Uber drivers' fingerprints to check past
A battle over background checks for Uber drivers at the world's busiest airport comes as cities like Los Angeles and Austin, Texas, consider more thorough screenings to prevent criminals from getting behind the wheel. Uber has objected to the Atlanta airport's plan to use fingerprints to check criminal records of its drivers, saying its own record checks are sufficient. But the district attorney in Uber's hometown of San Francisco has called the ride-booking firm's process "completely worthless" since drivers aren't fingerprinted.
Here's how much money you can save from deleting Uber and Lyft from your phone
We've all been there: You're at a bar, you've had a few too many drinks and you just want to get home ASAP, so you pull up your ride-sharing app of choice. You know you should just take a bus and save some money, but at a certain point convenience always beats frugality, so you drop $20+ on a cab ride. For someone caught in the throes of an Uber or Lyft addiction, it's hard to avoid the temptation of tapping that icon on your home screen and calling a car for even the shortest of trips.
New Orleans PD: Wrong way Uber ride ends in robbery
A 20-year-old man was robbed after he was allegedly taken to the wrong location by an Uber driver, New Orleans police said. In a preliminary report from the New Orleans Police Department, the victim said he caught an Uber ride to the Riverwalk. However, the driver took the victim to Algiers. When the victim got out of the vehicle, a person approached him and robbed the victim of his cellphone and credit card.
Surprise: Uber, Lyft hate proposed ride-hailing regulations
Uber is ratcheting up criticism of a Chicago aldermanic push to increase licensing and other requirements for drivers in the ride-booking industry, saying a proposed ordinance would essentially "end" its services here. Legislation that Ald. Anthony Beale, 9th, and 29 other City Council members introduced earlier this month would require drivers for ride-booking companies to get a chauffeur's license and submit to tougher background checks, fingerprinting and vehicle inspections.
Uber safety a source of concern, Toronto-area survey says
When it comes to Uber, Toronto-area residents are less concerned with what the ride-sharing company is doing to the taxi industry than they are with their personal safety in the absence of municipal regulations. An independent Environics Research Group survey found 56 per cent of residents support Uber with the support being stronger among those who use the service. Only 49 per cent of non-users support it.
Column: Stay safe by avoiding Uber and Lyft
Every weekend, hundreds of University of Arizona students flood in and out of local Ubers and Lyfts. Drivers for these popular ride-sharing services use their personal vehicles basically as cheaper, easier-to-call taxis that involve less one-on-one interaction - aspects which widely appeal to college students who grew up in a generation where technology has always been used to make daily life more convenient.  Lyfts and Ubers are especially enticing to students since they're lighter on our wallets. However, when using these services, how can we be sure of our safety?
Uber gets a taste of its own medicine from a competitor
Uber has bulldozed over its competition in the U.S. through a potent mix of aggressive fundraising and playing dirty against rivals. Now Uber is crying foul because ride-hailing competitors abroad may be using the Uber playbook against it. Last week, Uber filed a lawsuit alleging that its main competitor in India, Olacabs, created thousands of fake user accounts to order and cancel rides with the goal of disrupting Uber's service in the country.
Rape charge underscores urgency of ride-share reforms
It has been a wild and busy month for scandal-plagued Uber. First, the city of Los Angeles pressed for state regulators to require the safety-shirking ride-share company and its brethren to better screen their drivers, a number of whom have shocking criminal histories. The next day, Orange County prosecutors announced that yet another Uber driver has been charged with a horrendous crime - this time, raping a female passenger.
Uber considers hiring drivers with misdemeanors
Officials of Uber Technologies Inc. recently met with a senior House lawmaker to discuss how the ride-sharing company could hire more drivers who might be disqualified under the current hiring policy because of criminal records. Rep. Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.) told Bloomberg BNA that he and his staff met with Uber representatives the week of March 21 to discuss ways the company could broaden its applicant pool in cities like Baltimore, where there are significant income gaps and high crime rates.
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