About a year after Lyft started allowing riders to request multiple stops on their trips, Uber is joining its rival in offering the option for extra destinations. [More]
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Google’s Alphabet Takes Aim At Uber With $1B Investment In Lyft
By 10.19.17
A long time ago, in a ride-hailing era that now seems far away, Google and Uber were friends, with the internet giant plugging $258 million in Uber in 2013. Four years later, the two sides are embroiled in a legal battle over self-driving cars, and the tech company is pouring money into Uber’s biggest rival, Lyft, instead. [More]
Uber Facing At Least 5 Federal Investigations, Claims Report
By 10.11.17
Uber’s recent woes — a $20 million text message spamming settlement, an ousted CEO, investigations into sneaky software, and other issues — continue to deepen, as the Department of Justice has now reportedly opened at least five investigations into the company and its business practices. [More]
Uber To Pay $20M For Allegedly Spamming People With Illegal Text Messages
By 10.10.17
More than a year after a Chicago resident filed a class-action lawsuit against Uber, claiming the company violated federal law by sending unsolicited text messages to people who want nothing to do with the service, the ride-hailing company has agreed to pay $20 million to put the legal challenge behind it. [More]
Uber Charges Passenger $925 For What Is Normally $117 Ride
By 9.29.17
In certain markets, Uber will charge a “surge” rate during busy times that is in excess of what a passenger normally pays for a ride. But one Chicago Uber customer says she had no idea she’d be charged $925, nearly eight times the standard rate, for her lengthy trip. [More]
Uber Puts An End To Money-Losing Xchange Leasing Program
By 9.27.17
Uber’s Xchange Leasing program, which allowed Uber drivers to lease new cars that they could pay off by picking up passengers, was heavily criticized for charging lease rates far in excess of what drivers could get elsewhere, but it wasn’t until Uber realized it was losing boatloads of money on the program that it was in jeopardy — and now it’s being put to bed forever. [More]
London Kicks Uber Out Over Concerns About Safety & Sneaky Software
By 9.22.17
After years of offering rides in London, Uber is being told to exit the British metropolis after the city’s transport regulator denied Uber’s license renewal over concerns about public safety and the company’s use of sneaky software to avoid detection by the authorities. [More]
Uber Also Used ‘Greyball’ Software To Evade City Transportation Officials
By 9.15.17
Uber has already been accused of using a software tool dubbed “Greyball” to avoid sidestep law enforcement officers in cities where the service wasn’t yet authorized to operate. A new investigation has concluded that Greyball was also being used in at least one city to evade detection by more than a dozen local government officials. [More]
FBI Reportedly Investigating Uber For Spying On Lyft, Others
By 9.8.17
For about two years, Uber allegedly used a tool dubbed “Hell” to keep an eye on Lyft and other rivals, while also trying to lure away their drivers. This program caught the attention of federal law enforcement, who are now reportedly investigating whether Hell crossed any legal lines. [More]
Lyft Will Soon Offer Free Rides In Self-Driving Cars In San Francisco
By 9.7.17
Ride-hailing service Lyft is nudging its way into the world of self-driving cars, announcing today that it will soon be offering rides in autonomous vehicles to customers in the San Francisco Bay Area. [More]
Uber, Mall Team Up To Offer Dedicated Pickup Spots, Human Customer Service Reps
By 8.31.17
In a move designed to lure shoppers back to brick-and-mortar stores, mall giant Westfield is patterning up with Uber to offer dedicated drop-off and pick-up spots in 33 shopping centers — and some will feature real live humans to help with customer service. [More]
Did Uber Violate Bribery Laws Involving Foreign Officials?
By 8.30.17
Uber’s brand new CEO already has a lot to deal with: The U.S. Justice Department is in the first stages of investigating whether managers at the company ran afoul of a federal law that prohibits companies and their employees from bribing foreign officials in the course of doing business. [More]
Uber Finally Lets You Opt Out Of Having Your Location Tracked After Your Ride Is Over
By 8.29.17
Late last year, Uber made a change to its app that let it track customers after their rides had ended. Many troubled months later, the company is finally walking back that tweak, and will once again let customers have more control over when their locations are used. [More]
Uber Picks Expedia Boss Dara Khosrowshahi To Be Next CEO
By 8.28.17
Two months after Uber’s board of directors made CEO Travis Kalanick’s leave of absence permanent, the ride-hailing company has chosen Expedia’s head honcho Dara Khosrowshahi as its next top boss. [More]
Uber Drivers Have Already Received $50 Million In Tips Through The App
By 8.23.17
After a parade of scandals and a campaign urging users to delete its app, the ride-hailing app Uber has implemented some changes that the company hopes will make drivers happier, including in-app tipping. Since that was added to the app, the company reports that drivers have already received $50 million in tips. [More]
Uber Driver Accused Of Locking Passenger In Car, Demanding Sex
By 8.21.17
A Chicago Uber driver has been charged with unlawful restraint after he was accused of locking a passenger in his car and demanding that she have sex with him. [More]
Federal Appeals Court Is Okay With Uber Taking Away Customers’ Right To Sue
By 8.17.17
Like companies in just about every industry, the ride-hailing app Uber requires users to agree that they will take any disputes to an arbitrator rather than the legal system. And although you may never have noticed this clause, a federal appeals court has now ruled that customers receive “reasonably conspicuous” notice about the arbitration requirement. [More]
Uber Settles Federal Allegations It Deceived Customers About Privacy & Data Security
By 8.15.17
Uber has reached a deal with the Federal Trade Commission to settle the government’s investigation into the ride-hailing service’s allegedly questionable privacy practices.
[More]
