NewsWatch
Keeping a critical eye on Uber,
Lyft and other transportation
network companies
|
|
|
|
|
|  | |
Photo by Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff
| |
Taxi drivers protest as ex-Uber driver arraigned
A former Uber driver was arraigned on charges that he took a female passenger on a nightmare ride where he sexually assaulted and harassed her in a court proceeding that drew a group of taxi drivers protesting the background check policies of ride-hailing companies. "My 45 years as a taxi driver have been done without incident, and why is it that Uber is here providing the same service but committing crimes at the same time?" taxi driver James Christie said outside Woburn District Court.
Read more from the Boston Globe
|
|
Uber driver fired after being charged with sexually assaulting passenger
An Uber driver charged with sexually assaulting a passenger on a ride from Methuen to Norwood has been fired. Junior Clarke, 31, of Lawrence, was charged with indecent assault and battery on a person 14 or over, assault and battery, and accosting/annoying a person of the opposite sex. "We've been in contact with the rider to offer our support and are working with State Police to aid their investigation," an Uber spokesperson said in a statement. "The driver has been banned from the platform."
|
|
Uber driver arrested after attempting to rape a passenger in India
Uber driver Santu Parmanik in Kolkata, India, has been arrested and charged with molestation and criminal intimidation after attempting to rape a passenger. In the Telegraph, the 27-year-old passenger details how she fought off the driver, crediting a self-defense class she had taken when she was 15. The victim and her friend had reportedly shared an Uber, with her friend getting out first. Then, on the way to the second destination, the driver kept trying to pull off the main street onto side roads.
|
|
Uber driver arrested for refusing ride to blind man with service dog
An Uber driver in Orlando was arrested for allegedly refusing to provide a ride to a blind man from Los Angeles and his service dog, and allegedly hitting the man with his vehicle as he tried to drive off, officials said. The incident happened on July 4 at a Bahama Breeze restaurant in Orlando. Police say the blind man, identified as Robert Stigile of Woodland Hills, Calif., was with a group of people, including other blind people with service animals, and had ordered a van from Uber.
|
|
Former Uber driver arrested in Coconut Grove for allegedly selling drugs
A South Florida Uber driver was arrested after allegedly being caught selling drugs in Coconut Grove, Miami Police said. Miami Police received a tip that a suspect was going to be bringing drugs to prospective buyers Tuesday evening in Coconut Grove. Officers responded to the Quick Stop located on Grand Avenue and arrested 38-year-old Ilitch Munoz. Munoz was charged with possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, as well as possession of a handgun, and taken to Miami-Dade County Jail.
|
|
Uber is currently facing more than 70 lawsuits in Federal Court
Uber is known for a uniquely aggressive approach to establishing a market foothold. "They punch themselves into the market, break glass, upset people and then figure out how to bring everybody together in a more friendly way," as Thilo Koslowski, vice president and automotive practice leader of research firm Gartner, put it to the Los Angeles Times last year. Now you can put some numbers to that aggression. The company is facing more than 70 lawsuits in federal court throughout the United States, according to the Mercury News.
|
|
New reports confirm $1.15B leveraged loan raised by Uber at 5%
Two weeks ago, we reported that Uber was in talks to raise $1-2 billion in leveraged loans. The Wall Street Journal is circulating new information that the company has closed a $1.15 billion leveraged loan, with a 5 percent yield. This number comes in on the low side of our previous estimates. Last month, sources confirmed to TechCrunch that Uber had plans to raise $1-2 billion in leveraged loans.
|
|
Six Uber drivers were just fined in this European country
Six Uber drivers in Denmark were found guilty by a Copenhagen court of violating Danish taxi laws and fined 2,000 to 6,000 Danish crowns ($300-900) each. The case is another blow to the U.S. based ride-hailing app that has sparked protests and legal action around the world from traditional taxi operators, who see Uber as a threat to their livelihoods. In all six cases the Danish drivers had been using cars that were not approved for taxi services, Copenhagen City Court said in the judgment which was published online.
|
|
"They're treating us like rubbish": Uber drivers in South Africa have joined a union
Having previously faced protests by taxi associations in various African cities in which it operates, the ride-hailing service Uber is now facing resistance from its own drivers. Around 500 of the 4,000 Uber drivers in South Africa have joined the South African Transport and Allied Workers' Union (SATAWU) with a view to possibly initiate legal action against Uber, Zanele Sabela, the union's spokesperson says. The drivers have requested the union's assistance, she says, "as they are unhappy with their working conditions."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
