In this March 15, 2017 file photo, a sign marks a pick-up point for the Uber car service at LaGuardia Airport in New York.Seth Wenig / Associated Press Uber found more than 3,000 allegations of sexual assaults involving drivers or passengers on its platform in the U.S. last year, part of an extensive and long-awaited review in response to public safety concerns.The ride-hailing company released an 84-page safety report Thursday, seeking to quantify the misconduct and deaths that occur on its system and argue that its service is safer than alternatives.U.S. customers took about 1.3 billion trips last year, Uber said. About 50 people have died in Uber collisions annually for the past two years, at a rate about half the national average for automotive fatalities, according to the company. Nine people were killed in physical assaults last year, Uber said.Uber drivers reported nearly as many allegations of sexual assault as passengers, who made 56 per cent of the claims. There is little comparable data on assaults in taxis or other transportation systems, and experts have said the attacks are widely under-reported. The assault claims reported to Uber ranged from unwanted kissing to forcible penetration. Uber is very much a reflection of society, said Tony West, Ubers chief legal officer who helped spearhead the two-year research effort. The sad, unfortunate fact is that sexual violence is more prevalent in our society than people think. People dont like to talk about this issue.Uber had committed more than a year ago to release a safety study, a promise Lyft Inc. made soon after. Lyft, the second-biggest ride-hailing provider in the U.S., has yet to publish a report. On Thursday, Uber said it would regularly share data with Lyft and other companies about drivers accused of serious safety lapses and continue publishing safety reports every two years.Uber has faced a steady stream of complaints in court across the country over driver misconduct, and Lyft has recently seen an explosion in legal claims by passengers. Just in California, at least 52 riders have sued Lyft this year over allegations they were assaulted or harassed by their drivers, according to filings reviewed by Bloomberg.Uber has faced similar complaints in countries beyond the U.S. The company was sued in 2017 by a woman who alleged top executives violated her privacy after one of its drivers in India allegedly raped her.Regulators in London cited uncertainty about Ubers ability to ensure the well-being of its passengers as a reason they revoked the companys license to operate there last week. Uber will be able to continue operating in the U.K. capital as it appeals the decision. Dara Khosrowshahi, the chief executive officer, said at an event earlier this week that a precursor to trust is transparency.According to the study, the proportion of assaults to total trips decreased by 16 per cent last year as Uber implemented new safety tools, such as contacting drivers and customers when the system identifies unusual activity, as well as adding a button to dial 9-1-1 from the app. I do think Uber is one of the safest ways to get from point A to point B, said West.Uber disclosed five categories of sexual assault allegations. In 2018, Uber received 1,560 reports of non-consensual touching of a sexual body part, 594 reports of non-consensual kissing of a non-sexual body part, 376 reports of non-consensual kissing of a sexual body part, 280 reports of attempted non-consensual sexual penetration and 235 reports of non-consensual sexual penetration.The extent of sexual misconduct, while staggering, isnt unique to Uber, said Ebony Tucker, executive director at Raliance, an advocacy and consulting firm focused on preventing sexual violence. Ubers findings didnt surprise any of us, she said. Sexual assault is pervasive. Its everywhere.Counting assaults is a complicated exercise. Only about a third of claims the company received about penetration without consent were reported to the police, Uber estimated. In about a quarter of cases, Uber said its team didnt successfully communicate with the victim after the initial report. Women reported 89 per cent of the rape allegations, the company said.Uber opted not to disclose many other troubling forms of sexual misconduct that it had previously identified as possible reporting categories. For instance, the company didnt say how many times drivers and riders made inappropriate comments to one another, nor did it disclose incidents of indecent
Origin: Uber reports 3,000 sexual assault claims last year in its safety review
Uber
Uber is suing New York City over rule aimed to reduce traffic congestion
Times Square, New York City, New York State, Night, TaxiGetty Uber is suing the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission over a new regulation intended to reduce traffic congestion, saying the rule is arbitrary and cant be achieved.The suit, which seeks to nullify the rule passed August 7, was filed in New York state court in Manhattan, and reported on late September.One part of the new regulation places a 31-per-cent cap on the amount of time that for-hire vehicles can spend on the road without passengers, while another provision bars the issuance of more for-hire vehicle licenses until August 2020.While reducing congestion in Manhattan is an important goal and one Uber has publicly and vocally supported the August 2019 rule is the product of a rushed and unlawful process, including reliance on flawed and arbitrary economic modeling, Uber said in the
Origin: Uber is suing New York City over rule aimed to reduce traffic congestion
Volvo and Uber show off production-ready self-driving vehicle
Following two years of collaboration, Volvo and Uber are ready to show off their jointly developed production car capable of driving by itself. This follows several prototypes which were built with the goal of sussing out the companies’ self-driving car development efforts. The Volvo XC90 presented today is the first production car that, in combination with Uber’s self-driving system, is allegedly capable of fully driving itself. Your author would like to take a moment to welcome his new robot overlords. An array of sensors peppered atop and built into the vehicle are designed for Uber’s self-driving system to safely operate the machine and maneuver it in an urban environment. Several back-up systems are built into the thing for both steering and braking functions plus a dose of battery back-up power. Before you rush out and throw away your driving shoes, know that even though the companies say this machine is capable of handling driving duties all on its own, they aren’t ready to let it drive to the market on its own just yet. After describing the car, they go on to say that when paired with Volvo’s vehicle platform, Uber’s self-driving system may one day allow (emphasis mine) for safe, reliable autonomous ridesharing without the need for a Mission Specialist. A Mission Specialist, if you’re wondering, is the human bag of meat hired by Uber to sit behind the wheel and take command should things go awry. The team says they are specially trained Uber employees “operating and overseeing the car” in areas designated and suitable for autonomous driving. Volvo Cars plans to use a similar autonomous base vehicle concept for the introduction of its future autonomous drive cars in the early 2020s. These technologies will apparently include features designed to enable unsupervised autonomous drive in clearly designated areas such as highways and ring roads. Let’s hope these robot overlords are more like the sentient characters in the movie Cars and less like the psychotic transport trucks in Stephen King’s Maximum
Origin: Volvo and Uber show off production-ready self-driving vehicle
Woman jumps out of moving Uber car to escape harassment
A person holds a mobile phone with the Uber app showing on it.Ryan Remiorz / The Canadian Press A woman in Seattle, Washington said she jumped out of a moving car after her Uber driver harassed her. According to Seattle news station KCPQ, Sid Grogan reported the issue to Seattle police and to Uber. She also shared her story on Facebook to warn others, and later said she was contacted by two women who had experienced similar issues with the same driver. Grogan said she got into an Uber before midnight on May 26, and that the driver kept saying, “So where are we going to go, where are we going to go to talk, where should I take us?” Grogan said he kept repeating this, and each time she answered, “I’m going home, I’d like you to take me home.” She said the driver then pulled over and turned on his four-way flashers, and asked again where they could go. Grogan said she told him again that she wanted to go home, and that he locked the car and started driving. She then pried open the door lock, opened the door, and jumped out and ran away. Detective Patrick Michaud of the Seattle police department said that anyone who feels unsafe during a ride should get out as soon as it’s safe to do so, and if riding alone, should share their location and trip details with someone. Prior to Grogan’s experience, there had been several reported sexual assaults in the area, with victims attacked by legitimate ride-hailing drivers or by those pretending to be. Grogan said she believes Uber and Lyft should better interview their drivers, including speaking with them in person. She also said she has deleted her apps and hasn’t felt safe at home since the driver was given her home address as part of the
Origin: Woman jumps out of moving Uber car to escape harassment
Uber lowers barrier to drive for those who can’t afford a car
In this photo taken Feb. 25, 2016, an Uber decal is displayed in the their window of the car owned by Steve Linnes, a music teacher in State College, Pa., who is also a part-time Uber driver.Nabil K. Mark Uber is going nationwide across the U.S. with a program that helps those without a car – or the financial means to get one – drive for the ride-hailing giant. Since January, Uber has partnered in California with flexible car-leasing startup Fair to supply vehicles to drivers for a US$185 refundable security deposit. Drivers can then earn that much in credits from Uber if they complete 70 trips a week, which can effectively offset payments owed to Fair. “Uber wants to really find a way to lower the barrier or the hurdle to getting into a car,” Scott Painter, Fair’s founder and chief executive officer, said in a phone interview about the program, which is expanding to 10 major markets across the U.S. “This is designed specifically to attract drivers who may not even have enough credit to get a traditional car loan of any kind.” Uber agreed to sell its subprime-lending unit to Fair in January 2018, which gave the startup access to a pool of drivers that now make up roughly half of the company’s more than 30,000 active users. Initially conceived as a way to help new drivers get started, Uber’s unit formerly known as Xchange Leasing racked up losses and drew criticism for saddling drivers with financial commitments they struggled to meet. Painter said Fair’s model will be less risky because the company is more flexible about allowing drivers to return a car when they want and isn’t requiring them to make a significant financial commitment over a years-long lease. Fair also maintains a digital link to a user’s bank account or credit card. While the company runs a credit check off an applicant’s driver’s license, there’s no traditional financing process needed because Fair maintains ownership of the
Origin: Uber lowers barrier to drive for those who can’t afford a car
Uber shows the Toronto Raptors love ahead of NBA Finals
A screenshot of the Uber app in Toronto ahead of the teams championship run late May 2019Driving.ca Uber is making sure all its customers in Toronto are aware the NBA season is still in full swing North of the border, with a team in the playoffs for the first time in—ever. The ride-sharing app has replaced all of its vehicle icons with Raptors logos to celebrate the opening of the NBA Finals at ScotiaBank Arena on Thursday night. The Raptors face off against the Golden State Warriors at home, the first championship series game played outside of the United States in league history. This is cool. Uber cars today are Raptors claws. #NBAFinals pic.twitter.com/4KOf0WQODm Lori Ewing (@Ewingsports) May 30, 2019 Uber is The Official Ride of the Toronto Raptors and will likely have plenty of business in the downtown core on game nights over the next two weeks as tens of thousands of fans flock to the ScotiaBank Arena to watch the game both inside and outside at the now famous Jurassic Park. Tickets to Game 1 were being sold for as much as $60,000. Mississauga and Brampton were also granted permission by the team’s ownership, Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment, to set up their own versions of Jurassic Park to attract fans to viewing
Origin: Uber shows the Toronto Raptors love ahead of NBA Finals
Uber can now ban users with poor ratings
Jesse Vega checks a vehicle at the first of Ubers Work On Demand recruitment events where they hope to sign 12,000 new driver-partners, in South Los Angeles on March 10, 2016.Mark Ralston We all have that friend who treats their Uber like a karaoke machine. If Beyonce comes on the radio, watch out. Historically, these types of people and others like them who, for one reason or another, might not be the most popular with drivers, may have suffered from poor ratings in the app, but were still able to use the service. But that, says Uber, changes now. The ride-hailing service recently announced a policy change that will see some users with poor ratings banned from the app. The deactivations will impact riders who “develop a significantly below-average rating,” effectively booting them from the app. But there may be hope for your backseat-Beyonce-butchering friend yet. Uber says it’ll push tips on how to boost ratings – like using manners and not leaving trash in the back seat (uh, duh) – and provide several opportunities to improve before it deactivates any account. “Respect is a two-way street, and so is accountability,” the statement reads. “Drivers have long been expected to meet a minimum rating threshold which can vary city to city. While we expect only a small number of riders to ultimately be impacted by ratings-based deactivations, it’s the right thing to do.” Wow. Uber doing right by its drivers? Would you look at that! Some might consider it a change of pace from a company that has cultivated a reputation of not caring too greatly for its “partner” drivers. The policy is part of Uber’s greater ‘Community Guidelines,’ which it says is designed to make both drivers and passengers feel safe and respected.
Origin: Uber can now ban users with poor ratings
Uber shares steadily falling, marking the company another Wall Street flop
A person holds a mobile phone with the Uber app showing on it.Ryan Remiorz / The Canadian Press It was to usher in nothing less than a new era for Wall Street: UFAANG.’ That ungainly acronym meant to put ride-hailing company Uber in the same league as the titans of tech: Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix and Google. But by Friday’s closing bell, the most talked-about start-up of the decade and the biggest initial public offering (IPO) of the year qualified for a different club—of losers. Done in by a broad stock market selloff and a weak earnings report posted by its primary rival, Uber plunged immediately at the opening of trading May 10, falling as much as 8.8 per cent from its IPO price of US$45 per share, a level that was already at the low end of bankers’ expectations. The stock closed at US$41.57, and Uber joined a small group of major IPOs that ended their first day down. Day One doesn’t necessarily determine the fate of a stock, of course. But Uber’s rough opening startled investors counting on a more jubilant debut from Silicon Valley’s quintessential unicorn. Many venture capitalists who had piled into the company were saddled with losses as the market capitalization shrank to US$69.7 billion. It all cast a pall on 2019’s prospects as the hottest year for tech listings this decade—and potentially on the future of the ride-hailing industry. Lyft Inc. followed its bigger competitor to end Friday down 7.5 per cent, almost US$21 below where it sold the stock just six weeks ago. Uber could certainly still join the celebrated group of popular tech stocks, even with a tough ride out of the gate. Dara Khosrowshahi, Uber’s chief executive officer, said in an interview on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange that trade tensions between the U.S. and China played a role in the weak performance. President Donald Trump had moved overnight to slap fresh tariffs on Chinese goods. “You can’t pick when you go public,” Khosrowshahi said. Still, Uber shares extended losses into Monday, sinking below US$38 per share, even as U.S. equities stabilized on renewed optimism that an all-out trade war can be averted. Khosrowshahi said in the interview that while profitability was a priority for the company, public market investors should be judging Uber by a different measure once it starts reporting quarterly earnings. “The most important sort of statistic to look at is bookings, because that reflects essentially what people are paying for the service,” he said. Uber sold 180 million shares for US$45 each Thursday, after marketing them for US$44 to US$50 apiece. Even at the low end of the price range, Uber’s listing was the ninth-largest U.S. IPO of all time and the biggest on a U.S. exchange since Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.’s US$25 billion global record-holder in 2014, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. A market value of less than US$70 billion is a considerable climb down from earlier projections: Last year, bankers jockeying to lead the offering told Uber it could be valued at as much as US$120 billion in an IPO. The San Francisco-based company last raised private capital from Toyota in August at a valuation of about US$76
Origin: Uber shares steadily falling, marking the company another Wall Street flop
Be nice to your driver: Uber Canada to ban riders who act badly
Uber has not yet decided the minimum rating passengers must attain or how many chances they’ll get to change their behaviour.Getty Images Uber Canada will start banishing riders from its platform if they get consistently low ratings from drivers, the ride-sharing company announced Friday. Uber already removes drivers with consistently low ratings on the app, which uses a five-star rating system to build trust in the absence of formal training standards. Drivers also rate passengers, but the new system marks the first time that Canadian riders will face consequences for failing to meet a certain threshold. Previously, passengers could be banned for bad behaviour such as smoking in the car, vomiting from excessive drinking, having sex with a fellow rider, aggressive comments, unwanted touching or contacting a driver after a ride is over. Under the new system, which will roll out in Toronto in May and the rest of Canada in the weeks following, Uber will notify riders with bad ratings and give them multiple chances to improve their behaviour. If low ratings persist despite repeated warnings, Uber will deactivate the riders’ accounts for up to six months. Uber has not yet decided the minimum rating passengers must attain or how many chances they’ll get to change their behaviour, Uber Canada’s public affairs director Adam Blinick said in an interview. “Should we see consistent behaviour that makes the platform a less respectful place for drivers, a less safe place for drivers, riders could lose access to the platform,” Blinick said. The initiative is part of a handful of changes Uber hopes will improve safety. It will introduce speed notifications that will flash in real-time on a driver’s app screen should they exceed the posted limit. It will also pilot “ride check,” a technology that detects a sudden stop such as a collision. If a possible collision is suspected, a pop-up screen will ask both the rider and driver if they’ve been involved in a crash and enable them to call 911 easily. Uber will also require people to have a minimum two-year driving history, up from one year, to become Uber drivers. Existing rules also require drivers to be at least 21 years old and pass criminal background and driver abstract checks. Blinick said these measures are proactive and not in response to specific incidents, adding the “work on safety is never done.” Uber is facing pressure from governments around the world to improve safety after a series of high-profile incidents including sexual assault. In Toronto, it’s facing calls for stricter driver training rules after a 2018 incident where a 28-year-old passenger was killed in a collision after an Uber driver pulled over on the highway to check directions to the
Origin: Be nice to your driver: Uber Canada to ban riders who act badly
Disruptured: Just how well does Uber treat its ‘Partner’ drivers?
A man checks his smartphone while standing against an illuminated screen bearing the Uber logo in London on June 26, 2018.Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg Twenty-seven months ago, I wrote a comedy of errors about trying to become a licensed Uber driver in Toronto over the winter holidays. The conclusion of the piece was that Uber wasn’t a great deal for its drivers. Of course, Uber looking less than stellar may sound appropriate with your 2019 glasses on, but it was a different world in January 2017. Uber and Lyft (and Twitter, Facebook and Google) were still darlings of the business press, pop culture and Generation Techs. Over those twenty-seven months, Uber’s been busy shooting itself in the foot and a few fig leaves have withered. There’s the tech-bro issue: Uber’s been lambasted in the press for bullying and toxic masculinity in the office. (It’s hard to believe the #metoo movement only kicked in with the fall of Harvey Weinstein in October 2017. Wasn’t that a generation ago?) The resulting press was a litany of PR disasters. Small wonder Uber launched several safety features last month after a student in North Carolina was murdered in March after boarding what she thought was an Uber ride she’d hailed. It’s important to be seen doing something. There’s also the question of market leadership. Lyft got the jump on Uber, going public this same March 31, 2019. Lyft also beat them into the post-IPO slump, dropping 10%, on the poetically just a day after, April 1. This image provided by the Tempe Police Department shows an Uber SUV after hitting a woman on March 18, 2018 in Tempe, Ariz. The Associated Press Then there’s that whole killing and maiming people thing. One of Uber’s experimental self-driving cars killed a pedestrian in March 2018. In fact, Uber (and Lyft) drivers have injured and killed loads of pedestrians over the years. They didn’t talk about that much while heroically disrupturing reactionary oligopolies held by those evil taxi companies and converting the market to their own functional monopoly. A corporate travel fleet called Atchison listed reported incidents involving Uber and Lyft drivers. The egregious list read like a hip-hop hero’s rap sheet: deaths of pedestrians, cyclists and passengers; alleged assaults; untold dozens of alleged sexual assaults and harassments; five kidnappings; fifteen felons behind the wheel; sixteen DUIs and other nasty offences; and twenty cases of impostors posing as drivers. Compiling their list must’ve become tiring. Atchison stopped in July 2016, six months before I briefly joined the ranks of Uber drivers. Wait a second! Did that say Uber’s been experimenting with self-driving cars? They’re testing them right now, right here in Toronto! The Uber Advanced Technologies Group hopes to employ 100 researchers on self-driving technology this year alone in Toronto. Uber’s been on the self-driving vanguard for years. An entertaining Wired video from 2016 shows Uber testing the proto-versions of self-driving cars in Pittsburgh “with trained engineers at the wheel just in case.” However, the video cryptically continues, “Of course, if they do their job right, they won’t be needed forever.” Clearly the long-term plan is to get rid of those millions of ‘partners’ (aka independent and responsible for their own holidays, taxes, dentist bills, free water and newspapers for customers, etc.) many of whom have committed crimes. Meanwhile, suicide rates among taxi drivers in places like New York City are skyrocketing. City taxi licenses that recently cost millions are now virtually worthless. Thinking of driving an Uber yourself? Here’s what else to consider. Regulations vary by region. For instance, to drive an Uber in Toronto, you need to be 21+ years, possess a valid provincial driver’s license, legal work status in Canada, and have access to an eligible vehicle. The vehicle mustn’t be older than seven years. There’s also a background screening of your driving and criminal records. Insurance is paid by Uber but is only valid when you activate the app; you still need personal insurance. Be aware: Uber flatters its drivers that they’re independent business people. But Uber sets the rates and drivers cannot negotiate rates within the app. What about hours? The way the rating system and surge pricing work, drivers are continually nudged towards what is functionally shift work. Which sounds like what a low-powered employee does, not some independent tech business entrepreneur. Your boss is a weird amalgamation of an app and the passenger. Moreover, if you don’t play according to their rules, they cut you off. You need high acceptance and low cancellation rates to continue being connected to fares. On the other hand, you are assuming severe costs and risks, from overhead and gasoline to complex tax implications. Every mile you drive depreciates the value of your car. If you drive as your job, it depreciates fast and you‘ll have to replace the car every few years.
Origin: Disruptured: Just how well does Uber treat its ‘Partner’ drivers?
All about car 