Driver Discrimination
A federal court in California dismissed, with leave to amend, a putative class action against Uber alleging it discriminates against minority drivers with its customer ratings system.
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Uber
UK Top Court Gives Uber Drivers Benefits in Landmark Ruling
Uber drivers in Britain should be classed as “workers” and not self-employed, the U.K. Supreme Court ruled Friday, in a decision that threatens the company’s business model and holds broader implications for the so-called gig economy.
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Proposition 22
Having had no luck with the California Supreme Court, the union fighting to overturn Proposition 22 — the voter-approved initiative that keeps Uber, Lyft and other gig-economy drivers as independent contractors — has filed a petition to overturn the measure in a lower state court.
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Union Challenges Voter Approval of Independent Status for Gig Economy Drivers
Nearly 60% of California voters backed Proposition 22, which exempts gig economy giants from having to make their workers full-fledged employees, at the ballot box in November. A labor union and four drivers want the initiative struck down.
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Study Ties Rise in Car Ownership to Entrance of Ride-Hail Services in Cities
If people can just hail a ride from a five-star Lyft or Uber driver at a moment’s notice, will they even bother owning cars? According to research published in the journal iScience on Wednesday, the answer is yes: vehicle ownership actually increased across cities alongside the arrival of ride-hail services.
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Boston Cabbies Fight at 1st Circuit to Renew War With Uber
A group of Boston taxi operators found some passing room Monday trying to persuade the First Circuit that Uber had illegally competed with them by running an unlicensed cab company.
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Uber, Lyft Win Ballot-Box Battle Over Driver Status in California
An expensive gamble by app-based gig companies paid off big time in California with the approval of a ballot measure that exempts firms like Uber and Lyft from a state labor law and lets them classify workers as independent contractors.
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Judge Denies Drivers’ Request to Shut Down Uber’s Prop 22 In-App Messages
A judge will not compel Uber to inform drivers of their voting rights vis-à-vis Proposition 22, a California ballot initiative that if passed would exempt the company from treating drivers as employees under California law.
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Uber Drivers Sue Over In-App Messages Urging Them to Vote for Prop 22
A group of Uber drivers claim they are being subjected to a “constant barrage” of in-app messages urging them to support Proposition 22, a California ballot measure to exempt Uber and other rideshare and delivery companies from having to classify gig workers as employees.
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Uber and Lyft Lobby California Appeals Court to Keep Drivers as Contractors
Arguing before a state appeals court Tuesday, Uber and Lyft lawyers predicted fewer rides for consumers, lower earnings for drivers and a spike in drunk-driving accidents if they are forced to classify California drivers as employees instead of contractors.
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Uber Wins New London License After Appeal
Uber on Monday won a London court appeal, allowing the US ride-hailing giant to operate in the British capital for the next 18 months, after a judge ruled it was a “fit and proper” firm despite safety concerns.
Read moreScooter Dangers
A class claims Uber placed its Jump scooters in cities around the nation but did not equip them with a turn signal — a dangerous problem when users attempting to use hand signals drive the scooters with one hand.
Read moreUber Data Class Action
The Ninth Circuit ruled against an Uber driver who claimed he fell within an exemption in the Federal Arbitration Act because he drives passengers who are engaged in interstate travel. The driver must arbitrate his class action, which claims Uber failed to safeguard the personal data of drivers and riders.
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Uber Seeks Hong Kong Gov’t Meeting After Court Defeat
Uber on Wednesday said it was seeking an urgent meeting with Hong Kong’s government after drivers working for the company lost a landmark court case that could cripple ride-sharing apps in the finance hub.
Read moreRideshare for Wheelchair Users
Two individuals who sued Uber for not providing a wheelchair-accessible ride-sharing option in New Orleans have Article III standing to pursue their case and are not subject to an arbitration clause in the app’s terms and conditions, the Ninth Circuit ruled. Uber claimed the plaintiffs consciously avoided downloading the app and signing its terms and conditions but downloading the app and creating an account would have been a “futile gesture” for them.
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Ex-Uber Security Chief Charged With Obstruction in Data Breach Cover-Up
Uber’s former head of security Joseph Sullivan was charged Thursday with trying to cover-up a 2016 data breach that exposed 57 million drivers’ and passengers’ personal information.
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Uber and Lyft Win Temporary Reprieve on Making California Drivers Employees
SAN FRANCISCO (CN) — A state appeals court granted an eleventh-hour stay Thursday to delay enforcement of an injunction that
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Judge Orders Uber and Lyft to Classify Drivers as Employees
Uber and Lyft must start classifying more than 100,000 California drivers as employees instead of independent contractors and give them full employment benefits, including overtime and unemployment insurance, a state court judge ruled Monday.
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California Judge to Decide on Uber, Lyft Driver Classification
The fate of more than 100,000 Uber and Lyft drivers lies in the hands of a state court judge, who after a nearly 3-hour hearing Thursday lamented his inability to fully predict the ramifications of a potential court order extending employment benefits to California drivers.
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California Labor Commissioner Sues Uber & Lyft for Wage Theft
Already facing pressure to start classifying drivers as employees in litigation brought by the California attorney general, Uber and Lyft were hit with two more lawsuits from state labor officials Wednesday seeking back wages for drivers.
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