NewsWatch
Keeping a critical eye on Uber,
Lyft and other transportation
network companies
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Uber loses at least $1.2 billion in first half of 2016
The ride-hailing giant Uber Technologies Inc. is not a public company, but every three months, dozens of shareholders get on a conference call to hear the latest details on its business performance from its head of finance, Gautam Gupta. On Friday, Gupta told investors that Uber's losses mounted in the second quarter. Even in the U.S., where Uber had turned a profit during its first quarter, the company was once again losing money.
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Two Chicago brothers on parole charged in murder of NBA star's cousin -- Chicago police arrested two brothers and charged them with the fatal shooting of basketball star Dwyane Wade's cousin as she pushed a baby in a stroller, a murder that has stunned a city plagued by a surge in gang-related violence. Darwin Sorrells Jr., 26, and Derren Sorrells, 22, are facing charges of first-degree murder and attempted murder in the death of Nykea Aldridge, a 32-year-old mother of four, police said. Aldridge was hit when the suspects opened fire at the intended target, a driver of a car who told authorities he worked for Uber and was dropping off passengers.
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Police seek man who posed as Uber driver, attacked woman
Atlanta police investigating a woman's report that she was sexually assaulted by an Uber driver say they now believe the suspect posed as a driver to lure her into his car, the most recent of several attacks by phony Uber drivers around the nation. Within the past 12 months, police in Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Orlando, Florida, have issued alerts to warn residents about people pretending to be Uber drivers and preying on unsuspecting customers.
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$100 airport ride? Uber prices swing wildly in one Alabama city
A spike in Uber rates sent the price of a ride from downtown Huntsville to the Huntsville International Airport area to between $90 and $120 Friday. The airport rate had dropped by early afternoon to between $25 and $34, making for a wild swing that left customers wondering in online forums like Reddit just what had happened. Uber told AL.com in an email Friday afternoon that, "Due to a technical issue, riders were incorrectly charged more than the established rates in Huntsville."
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Survey exposes dark side of the Uber economy
The growing Uber economy has incited fierce public debate about on-demand work and what it means for our future. A new survey by Deloitte offers some insight into why. The survey found that 67% of those who have worked as an independent contractor would not choose to do so again in the future. Although 41% of respondents said independent contracting offers more flexibility to work where, when and how they want, compared to full-time employment, that advantage didn't counterbalance the drawbacks, such as unsteady income, for most people.
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The Uber Killer: The real story of one night of terror
On a Saturday evening in February, a 45-year-old Uber driver and father of two named Jason Dalton got into his car, left his home near Kalamazoo, Michigan, and began shooting people. But the strangest, most unfathomable thing about the night that Dalton killed and killed again is what he did in between.
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Uber and Lyft hate fingerprinting drivers, but new data show why they might be wrong
Uber and Lyft are battling cities over fingerprinting drivers, saying it does nothing to improve safety and is an unnecessary burden - however, new data that came out from Austin, Texas, a city both services quit over the issue, might undermine their case. Austin's new fingerprint-based background checks, which went partially into effect on Aug. 1, barred 86 people with criminal records from driving for ride-hailing services, according to the Austin Transportation Department.
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Police investigate report of Bloomington Uber driver touching passenger inappropriately
Police in Bloomington are investigating after an Uber customer reported being inappropriately touched by a driver. The incident was reported to police just before 6 a.m. Sunday morning. Police say a 32-year-old woman called Uber for a ride after a night out. She said the driver asked her to sit in the front seat because the back door was broken. During the ride, she said the driver touched her leg inappropriately, made sexually-suggestive comments and made her feel uncomfortable.
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Metro investigating attempted rape of woman who walked home after dispute with Uber driver
A dispute between a woman and her Uber driver led to the woman exiting the rideshare service at the wrong location and then getting robbed. According to police, the woman was using the service to get home just before 3 a.m. when she and the driver had a dispute. She exited the vehicle and was walking the rest of the way home when she was attacked by a male suspect near the Edgehill Library.
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