There’s one big obstacle for anyone who wants to sign up as an Uber driver and hit the road — if you don’t have a car, you’ve got nowhere to put any passengers. Uber wants to make it easier to attract potential drivers, launching its own auto leasing subsidiary unit that will bring the ride-hailing company into the financial services industry. [More]
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College President Explains Why He Moonlights As Uber Driver
By 7.29.15
Imagine you’re a student at tiny Oglethorpe University in Atlanta and you’re in need of a lift home because you’re in no shape to drive. So you pull out your smartphone and request an Uber car. When your ride arrives, your driver looks awfully familiar… probably because he’s the school’s president. [More]
Yet Another Uber Passenger With Service Dog Allegedly Left At The Curb
By 7.27.15
Divit is a guide dog, who has been trained to keep his owner safe and independent and to have impeccable manners in public. Yet Divit’s owner says that they were left at the curb on their way to a vet appointment, simply because the driver assigned to their ride didn’t want to have a dog in the car. Even a service dog, which in theory is allowed to go anywhere that its owner or trainer does. [More]
Uber Driver Claims Dog Urinated In Car, Sends Pictures Of Different Car
By 7.23.15
It’s not news that someone did something inappropriate in a hired car: that, unfortunately, has been happening for as long as taxis have existed. No, but one woman in Chicago disputed Uber’s claim that her dog relieved himself on the floor of an UberX vehicle and that she owed $200. [More]
NYC Mayor Ditches Plan To Curb Uber Expansion In The City
By 7.23.15
It seems Uber will get its way in New York City after all: Though Mayor Bill de Blasio was pushing for limits on how much the ride-hailing service and other for-hire vehicle companies could expand their fleets, city hall is now backing down from that plan amid backlash from Uber, Governor Andrew Cuomo and some famous folks. [More]
Uber Pushing Back On New York City’s Plans To Put Limits On For-Hire Vehicle Fleet Expansion
By 7.20.15
In Uber’s quest to take over the world, expansion is key — the more drivers it has on the roads picking up passengers, the better its business will do. But in New York City, the company will have to fight to grow its fleet as local authorities consider putting limits on just how many for-hire vehicles will be cruising the streets. [More]
Survey Says: Uber Overtakes Taxis As The Most Popular Ride For Business Travel
By 7.17.15
The scene opens on a very busy businessperson wearing a business suit and carrying a business briefcase on a mission to do some serious business. Time is of the essence — but how to get there? Though in the past we might’ve seen such a character emitting a sharp whistle to bring a cab to a screeching halt, nowadays that person is likely going to pick up their smartphone and hail a ride with Uber, according to a new report. [More]
California Penalizes Uber $7.3 Million, Says Service Should Be Suspended
By 7.16.15
After allegedly failing to provide the state with information about its drivers and whether the company was treating customers fairly, an administrative law judge for the California Public Utility Commission (CPUC) says that Uber should pay a $7.3 million fine and face suspension of its operating license in the state. [More]
Uber Settles Wrongful Death Lawsuit Involving Driver Who Hit, Killed 6-Year-Old In San Francisco
By 7.15.15
Uber has reached a settlement with the family of a six-year-old girl who was hit and killed by an Uber driver in San Francisco in 2013, after their attorney brought a wrongful death lawsuit against the company alleging multiple counts of negligence in January 2014. [More]
Uber Tells Court Its Drivers Are Happy Being Non-Employees
By 7.10.15
Are Uber drivers independent contractors or employees of the popular ride-hailing service? The company has long maintained that Uber is just a platform for drivers — using their own cars on their own time — to connect with passengers, while others have contended that Uber drivers are treated like employees and should therefore not be responsible for all the costs of operating their vehicles. Yesterday in federal court, the company presented statements from drivers claiming to be just fine with their status as non-employees. [More]
Uber Testing Feature That Suggests Safe, Convenient Pickup Spots When Customers Request A Ride
By 7.8.15
While car service customers have the power to set their pickup location as precisely as they want to — either by entering a specific street address or dropping a pin on the mobile app’s map — that doesn’t mean it’s always a safe or easy place to get picked up, depending on traffic, or a place with space for a driver to wait. After some prodding, Uber will now implement a feature that recommends safe and convenient pickup spots when riders request a car. [More]
America’s Biggest Companies React To SCOTUS’ Same-Sex Marriage Ruling
By 6.26.15
While it might not seem like there’s a direct link to same sex marriage and our country’s biggest businesses, even before the Supreme Court of the United States ruled today that marriage is a constitutional right for any American, many major companies came out in support of same-sex marriage, saying those rights help them do business better. Today, some of those companies — and more — spoke out in celebration of the landmark ruling. [More]
Privacy Group’s FTC Complaint: Uber Shouldn’t Track Users When They’re Not Using The App
By 6.22.15
A digital-privacy group has filed a complaint against Uber, saying the company’s new privacy policy says it could use a rider’s location information to track where they are even when the app is running in the background, and also takes issue with the company’s policy regarding collecting address book information. The Electronic Privacy Information Center in Washington, D.C wants the FTC to investigate. [More]
NYC Officials Take 496 Uber Cars Off The Streets For Illegally Picking Up Passengers On The Street
By 6.17.15
Every city has its own rules on how Uber drivers are allowed to operate, and in New York City that means black and livery cars can’t cruise around trying to pick up passengers on the streets. As such, officials impounded the cars of 496 Uber drivers this spring in a crackdown on illegal pickups. [More]
California Labor Commission: Uber Driver Was An Employee
By 6.17.15
Now that app-based ride-hailing services make the barrier of entry to the taxi business as low as “yep, I own a car, I try not to hit things with it, and I am not a criminal,” traditional ideas about who is an “employee” may have to change. This week, a decision by the California Labor Commission declared a former driver for Uber, which could be very expensive for similar companies if the decision holds up on appeal and applies to the rest of their fleet. [More]
Uber Still Working Out Logistics Of Delivering Food And Merchandise
By 6.16.15
New business ventures sometimes have unexpected problems. As ride-hailing service Uber tries to expand its business into hauling lunch orders and same-day online orders around, the company has hit some unanticipated problems. For example, some people order lunch when they think they’re ordering a ride, since both are part of the same mobile app. Some high-end retailers couldn’t use Uber driver since their insurance only covers merchandise up to $1,000. [More]
Uber’s Petition Website Hacked To Redirect To Lyft Homepage
By 6.15.15
It’s no secret that ride-sharing companies Uber and Lyft have enjoyed a spirited rivalry in recent years. Over the weekend, a security researcher inserted himself into the crosshairs of the two ride-hailing services by exploiting a vulnerability in Uber’s petition website that allowed him to showcase and redirect visitors to Lyft’s homepage, while also changing the content of some petitions. Now he’s warning the company – and others like it – to take precautions when using petition and contest websites, as they might prove to be a welcome mat for malevolent hackers. [More]
Nobody Really Knows What To Do About Regulating The Sharing Economy
By 6.10.15
The car in front of you has four wheels and goes “beep.” For a certain fee, its driver will pick you up from where you are now and will shortly thereafter drop you off at the place you want to go. Twenty years ago, that car was an ordinary taxicab that you called on a landline. Now, it’s an Uber you summoned with an app on your smartphone. What’s the difference? In the world of regulation, everything. [More]
