Some airlines aren’t living up to their obligation to compensate passengers for damage to their luggage, recent inspections by the Department of Transportation found. Now, the agency is warning carriers that if their policies and trainings don’t fall in line with federal regulations by Jan. 9, they could face fines and other enforcement action. [More]
Transportation & Infrastructure
Uber Testing Color-Coded Light System To Help Passengers Find The Right Ride
By 12.3.15
A few weeks ago, I hopped in the back of an Uber vehicle after it pulled up right in front of me, thinking it must be the car I’d ordered to this exact spot, arriving on time just as the app said it was. But then my actual driver called my phone, and the man behind the wheel asked if my name was Kristy (it isn’t). Uber is testing a way to keep such mixups from happening with a color-coded light system to help passengers find their ride. [More]
Uber, Lyft Given Final Approval To Stay In Portland After City Council Vote
By 12.3.15
What a difference a year makes: it’s been almost 12 months since Uber and officials in Portland, OR agreed to work on new rules together to allow the company to operate in the city, and now, those rules have finally been approved, giving ride-hailing services the go-ahead to do their thing. [More]
Report: VW Knew About Fuel Efficiency Discrepancies A Year Ago
By 11.30.15
Earlier this month, Volkswagen announced that an internal investigation into the carmaker’s use of “defeat devices” to evade emission standards in nearly 11 million vehicles worldwide uncovered a second issue: nearly 800,000 cars included understated levels of carbon monoxide emissions and rule usage. But a new report puts the timing of the finding into question, with some sources claiming executives with the car manufacturer knew of the problem more than a year ago. [More]
Emissions-Cheating “Defeat Devices” Found In Additional VW, Audi, Porsche Vehicles
By 11.20.15
The emission-scandal plot continues to thicken for Volkswagen and U.S. regulators. Nearly a month after the Environmental Protection Agency and California Air Resources Board accused the carmaker of including “defeat devices” in an additional 10,000 previously unreported vehicles, investigators for the agency say the number of cars is significantly higher. [More]
Tesla Recalling All Its Model S Sedans Over Seatbelt Issue
By 11.20.15
Tesla is known for their cutting-edge 21st-centry all-electric cars, but today the company is recalling all 90,000 of them over an issue with a much older tech: the seat belts. [More]
Hyundai Recalls 305K Sedans For Brake Light Issues
By 11.20.15
Following someone who constantly “rides the brake,” as they say, can be a frustrating experience. But if that car ahead of you is a Hyundai, it might not be the driver’s fault: the carmaker recently recalled nearly 305,000 Sonatas because the brake lights might stay on, even when the driver isn’t pressing the pedal. [More]
Lawmakers Call For VW To Buy Back Emission-Cheating Cars At Pre-Scandal Value
By 11.19.15
Despite nearly a quarter of the 482,000 owners of Volkswagen vehicles equipped with “defeat devices” accepting a “goodwill package” of $1,000 in cash and credits for their troubles, lawmakers said on Thursday that the carmaker needs to do more – namely buy back the automobiles that violate federal air pollution emission standards. [More]
Nearly 120,000 VW Owners Accept “Goodwill Package,” Carmaker To Present Plan For Emissions Fix Friday
By 11.19.15
Last week, Volkswagen announced it would try to win over hundreds of thousands of consumers still waiting to hear just how the carmaker plans to fix their “clean diesel” vehicles rigged to cheat emissions tests by offering owners $1,000 in cash and credits. While the “goodwill package” was seen by some as a means to buy more time, it’s apparently working: nearly 120,000 individuals have taken the company up on its offer. [More]
Regulators Close Investigation Into Ford Door Latch Issues
By 11.18.15
More than a year after opening a probe into why the door latches on certain Ford vehicles refused to stay shut, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration closed the door (horrible pun) on the investigation after determining a recall initiated by the carmaker fixed the problem. [More]
Pennsylvania Proposes $50M Fine Against Uber For Operating Without Approval
By 11.18.15
Uber’s tendency to begin operations now and ask for permission later seems to have backfired in a big way in Pennsylvania, with two judges for the state’s taxi and bus regulatory agency recommending a $50 million fine against the ride-hailing company for operating without first getting the proper state approval. [More]
Uber Now Offering Last-Minute NFL Tickets, Rides To Games — In Jacksonville
By 11.17.15
Earlier this fall, Uber began a two-month, Saturdays-only test allowing passenger to watch college football games while on the move in Nashville, Detroit, Atlanta and Houston. Now the company is one-upping itself by providing last-minute tickets to riders wanting to see a professional football game — as long as they live in Jacksonville and want to see the currently 3-6 Jaguars. [More]
Uber Launches Service To Help Drivers Connect With Passengers On Their Route
By 11.16.15
Between offering taxi, private car and rideshare options, Uber seems to have a service to meet just about every users’ transportation needs. Today, the company announced it’s also looking out for its drivers, by launching Destinations, a feature that lets drivers tell the app where they’re heading and pick up passengers along the way. [More]
Kia Recalling 256K Soul Compact SUVs Over Possible Steering Failure
By 11.13.15
Cars will take you wherever you want to go — that is, if you can point them in the right direction. That’s why steering is so important, and why Kia Motors is recalling more than 256,000 Soul compact SUVs in the United States, over concern that defective glue could make the steering system fall apart. [More]
SpaghettiOs Recalled Because Red Plastic Pieces Are Not A New Flavor
By 11.13.15
After some customers complained, the Campbell Soup Company discovered that the red plastic lining of cans of Original flavor SpaghettiOs has peeled off, ending up in the tomato sauce and posing a choking hazard. The recall includes 355,000 cans, which seems like a massive amount, but is quite small compared to the total number of SpaghettiOs cans sold nationwide. [More]
GM Looking To Import Made-In-China Buick For U.S. Customers
By 11.12.15
General Motors’ Buick — perhaps the oldest existing name in U.S. car brands — is trying to re-introduce itself to younger American consumers who associate it with a stuffier generation. But Buick is a hit in China, with a number of models manufactured specifically for the local market. One of those cars — the Buick Envision — may end up being GM’s first China-made car to be imported to the U.S. [More]
VW Offers Amnesty To Whistleblower Employees, But Only For A Few Weeks
By 11.12.15
A week after an internal investigation – aided by company engineers – uncovered carbon emissions issues with 800,000 Volkswagen vehicles, the carmaker says it will keep the door open for employees to share any cheating within the organization – as long as they do it by the end of the month. [More]
