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Woman sues Uber for negligence after being raped by driver
A West Hollywood woman sued Uber Technologies, alleging that the ride-hailing company's negligence led to her being raped by an Uber driver. The lawsuit, which was filed in the Superior Court of Los Angeles on behalf of the 27-year-old plaintiff, said the San Francisco company "aggressively promotes its safety ... [but] instead of delivering Plaintiff a safe ride to her destination, Uber introduced Plaintiff to her rapist - her Uber driver.
Uber driver arrested on suspicion of sexual assault
An Uber driver was arrested on suspicion of sexually assaulting a female passenger, police said. Rodolf Vjerdha, 59, of Redwood City, Calif., was arrested in East Palo Alto after police learned he held a woman in his car and requested to enter her home. The victim requested a ride through the Uber app after a night out with friends in Palo Alto, according to police. She decided to use Uber Pool, which allows other prospective riders to split the fare.
Uber driver accused of pointing gun at gay passengers
An Atlanta man tells CBS46 News his Uber driver chased him and his friend down with a gun. "I was about to get shot," said Corthell Williams. The Atlanta man told CBS46 he and his friend were picked up by an Uber driver outside of Burkhart's gay night club on Piedmont Avenue back in June. Williams and his friend started making conversation when they gave him a compliment, he said. "We told him he was cute," he said. According to the incident report from Atlanta Police, the driver started yelling profanities at the men and pulled out a gun.
Uber driver accused of having illegal gun, smoking cannabis during work
An Uber driver was charged with possessing cannabis and driving around with a weapon while he was a felon, officials said. Chad Pilcher, 41, was charged with possession of a firearm with a defaced serial number, possession of cannabis of between 10 to 30 grams, unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, possession of a weapon without a valid gun card and not wearing a seat belt, police said.
Desperately seeking drivers, Uber and Lyft offer car options
No car? No problem for ride sharing companies like Uber and Lyft. These companies are offering rentals, leases and financing deals aimed at getting more drivers on the road. After all, the more drivers they sign up, the more rides are available and the more money they make. But critics say drivers are paying high and even predatory prices. "The lease terms are awful, you could buy the car for what they are being leased for, or maybe even less," said Greg McBride, chief financial analyst at Bankrate, of Uber's Xchange leasing program.
Philippines suspends new Uber, Grab vehicle registrations as backlog mounts
The Philippines has stopped accepting applications for new ride-sharing vehicles of Uber and Grab due to a backlog amid a government review of its policies on fare spikes, a senior official said. The Southeast Asian nation was the first country to regulate app-based car-hailing operations after coming out with rules last year. "It's just the new applications that we have to suspend so we don't have a huge amount of backlog," said Cherie Mercado, spokeswoman of the transportation department.
Drivers battle Uber over employment rights
Cab hire service Uber has been taken to a London employment tribunal by two of its drivers who claim it is acting unlawfully by not offering holiday and sick pay. Uber, which allows users to book and pay for a cab through a smartphone app, is used by some two million Londoners. The test case centres around whether the drivers can be considered workers or, as Uber argues, as self-employed. The two legal definitions are accorded different employment rights.
10-year-old blind girl and teacher denied ride by Uber driver
A 10-year-old blind girl and her teacher were denied a ride by an Uber driver because they had a service dog. The Orlando Uber driver has been suspended and could lose his Uber driving privileges, pending an investigation. 10-year-old Addison Burgess and her teacher, Amanda Lannan, who is also blind, and were trying to get to a camp field trip. The camp is meant to help blind children adapt to life's challenges. 
Aborignal rapper shocked and shaken after racist rant from Uber driver
The rapper told BuzzFeed News the incident, which took place in Sydney, "rocked him" and left him "really shaken up". "I had to control myself. It was very hard - so hard - for me to not get physical. I was just in such a bad spot and thought what the hell do I do?" he said. The incident took place when the rapper took an Uber after finishing work. Nooky told the driver he was originally from the town of Nowra in southern NSW. 
Uber driver tells UK tribunal he earned less than the minimum wage
An Uber driver told a British tribunal on Wednesday he had earned less than the minimum wage, despite the firm saying he received nearly three times as much, in a case that could threaten the app's business model. Lawyers are representing two drivers at an employment tribunal, arguing that Uber is acting unlawfully by not offering rights such as holiday and sick pay. 
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