While a decision by the California Employment Development Department only affects one employee and their claim for unemployment benefits, it’s yet another official declaration from a government agency that the people who drive for Uber have an employer-employee relationship with the company, which in theory should entitle them to benefits that employees receive: reimbursement of vehicle costs, having the employer’s portion of their income taxes paid, and receiving unemployment benefits when their employment with the company ends involuntarily, if appropriate. [More]
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Police: Man Pretended To Be An Uber Driver, Tried To Hug Fleeing Passenger
By 9.10.15
Reminder: If you didn’t call that cab or order that Uber ride, it’s not always safe to just hop in the car and hope to get to your destination. Police in Texas have identified a suspect in connection to an odd incident early last Sunday morning, where two female college students reported that a man pretending to be an Uber driver offered them a ride, saying his fare didn’t show up. [More]
Uber Reportedly Wants To Deliver Same-Day E-Commerce Orders
By 9.4.15
Uber wants to become more than a ride-hailing service: the company wants to use its army of drivers, who are definitely not employees, to deliver food, stuff, and people. While its experiments so far with food delivery and luxury merchandise delivery haven’t been very impressive, the company plans to keep trying. Next up: same-day delivery from large and small retailers in New York City and in San Francisco. [More]
Philadelphia Sues, Fines Uber $300K Over Allegations Of Operating Illegally
By 9.2.15
After 10 months of driving the streets in Philadelphia, Uber now faces a lawsuit and $300,000 fine for providing ride-hailing services in violation of city regulations. [More]
The Uber Misclassified Employee Lawsuit Is Now A California Class Action
By 9.2.15
While class action lawsuits can be an effective consumer remedy, they are not a quick one. Former drivers for ride-hailing service Uber first filed a class action on behalf of all California drivers in 2013, and it has just now been certified as a class action. The original lawsuit alleges that drivers for Uber are misclassified employees, who should have their vehicle expenses covered by their “employer,” Uber. [More]
Sen. Calls For More Precise Data On “On-Demand” Economy & Workforce
By 9.1.15
Independent contractors are nothing new — taxi drivers paying to use a medallion, barbers renting out chairs to cut hair, local artisans selling jewelry and apparel on consignment — but the boom in online platforms that give everyone immediate access to these services and products has resulted in an “on-demand” economy and workforce whose true size and scope is unknown. In an effort to get a more accurate picture on this issue, one U.S. senator is calling on federal officials to provide more relevant data. [More]
Hilton’s Partnership With Uber Allows Guests To Grab A Ride Through Hotel’s App
By 9.1.15
Once upon a time, the hotel front desk was the go-to spot for guests who wanted something, whether it’s more towels or advice on the best spots in town to visit (and a cab to get there). You’ll still have to call for more towels at Hilton Hotels, but in a new partnership with Uber, hotel guests will now be able to schedule alerts through the HHonors app to remind them when they need to arrange a ride to check out the sights they’ve planned to see during their stay. [More]
Uber Hires Security Researchers Who Hacked A Jeep To Protect Its Self-Driving Cars From Cyber Attacks
By 8.31.15
As technology advances and our cars become more and more autonomous, they are also opened up more and more to a new danger that didn’t used to exist on the roads — hack attacks. To protect that new technology and reassure future customers that riding in self-driving cars can be safe, Uber has hired the same two vehicle security researchers who managed to remotely hack a Jeep earlier this summer. [More]
Uber Testing Bus-Like Feature That Gives Passengers A Discount For Getting Picked Up Along “Smart Routes”
By 8.24.15
While some folks might prefer the privacy of their own car and driver, others are totally willing to share a ride in order to save a few bucks. Uber is testing a new feature for its UberPool option — which allows drivers to pick up multiple passengers along a common route — that works similar to bus routes. [More]
Uber Defends Robocalls, Claims They Were Legitimate Political Messages
By 8.20.15
A week after Uber was sued for allegedly spamming non-customers with text messages, the ridesharing service faces another complaint claiming intrusive telephonic behavior. This time, the plaintiff says Uber is violating federal and New York state laws with pre-recorded calls urging consumers to contact their local lawmakers. But Uber says the calls were political in nature, thus exempt from the robocall rules. [More]
Uber Debits $1,537 From Passenger’s Checking Account For 6-Day Ride That Didn’t Happen
By 8.19.15
This story should teach two lessons to any Uber passenger: First, always check to make sure that your ride is concluded when you get out of the car. Second, don’t do anything that directly links your checking account to Uber. It’s a lesson learned the hard way for a Virginia woman whose account was hit for more than $1,500 because of a glitch with the ridesharing service. [More]
Uber Updates App To Show The Difference Between Hailing A Ride And Ordering Lunch
By 8.18.15
Following a bit of consumer confusion related to rolling its ride-hailing and food ordering options into the same app back in June, Uber has finally pushed out an update aiming to ensure people looking for a ride don’t order a sandwich instead. Along with now prominently displaying separate buttons for requesting a ride and ordering via UberEATS, the update includes an expansion of the food delivery service to San Francisco. [More]
Judge Dismisses Suit Accusing Uber Of Misrepresenting Services, Racketeering
By 8.14.15
Uber scored a victory in one of the many legal battles it’s party to on Thursday, when a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by 15 Connecticut taxi and limousine companies that aimed to stop the ride-sharing service from operating in the state. [More]
Charleston Uber Driver Accused Of Kidnapping, Rape
By 8.12.15
A Charleston, S.C. Uber driver has been charged with kidnapping and forcible rape, after a female passenger accused him of demanding sexual favors as payment for her trip. She told police he then sexually assaulted her and kicked her out of the vehicle. [More]
NYC Car Service Companies Launching Their Own Smartphone Apps To Compete With Uber
By 8.11.15
In the pre-Uber days of New York City, if you needed a ride to show up at a certain time and location, you’d call a car service in your neighborhood (everyone had their favorites) and arrange for a livery driver to pick you up, instead of risking it and trying to find an available yellow cab. Some of those local car service companies are now turning to their own new technology, introducing smartphone apps to try to compete with the growing presence of Uber. [More]
Lawsuit Alleges Uber Is Spamming Consumers With Illegal Texts
By 8.11.15
The concept of ride-sharing service Uber is built around consumers’ use of mobile phones: the company sends text messages confirming the creation of an account, users hail a cab through the company’s app, and the company routinely informs customers their ride is on the way via text. While this may be convenient for Uber customers, a new lawsuit claims Uber is violating federal law by sending unsolicited texts to people who want nothing to do with the service. [More]
Uber Admits It Failed To Follow Procedure In Hire Of Driver Accused Of Rape
By 8.10.15
Last week, it came out that an Uber driver in Dallas had used a bogus, expired city permit when he applied for a job with the ridesharing service. Now, Uber is finally explaining how it failed to catch this red flag during the vetting process. [More]
Uber Driver Accused Of Rape Used Phony Permit To Drive
By 8.4.15
Uber is once again under fire for its system of vetting drivers after the city of Dallas claims that an Uber driver accused of raping a passenger was operating on a bogus permit and should never have made it through the company’s screening process. [More]
