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"content": "\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_118115\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-118115\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/11/lyft.jpg\" alt=\"Two agents from the same insurance company gave TNC driver different answers on whether they could provide coverage. 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By supporting innovation and technology, these city and state leaders have the opportunity of paving the way for providing safe, affordable and sustainable transportation and we’re thrilled to be working with them to improve our cities of tomorrow.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An \u003ca href=\"http://blog.uber.com/TNCpermit\" target=\"_blank\">Uber post\u003c/a> announcing its permit said, \"The unprecedented growth in this industry and the leadership shown by California’s regulatory leaders sends a clear message. The innovation economy is thriving in California and the roadmap is simple: public safety and consumer choice go hand in hand.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lyft and UberX had been operating conditionally as the CPUC reviewed their applications. Just last month, the commission sent letters to both companies informing them they needed to correct \"deficiencies\" in their applications within 60 days or have them denied. The CPUC specifically singled out questions about the companies' vehicle inspection programs. As reported by the \u003ca href=\"http://blog.sfgate.com/techchron/2014/03/07/california-to-lyft-uber-sidecar-wingz-get-your-act-together/\" target=\"_blank\">San Francisco Chronicle\u003c/a>:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>The letter asked them to clarify\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Who is conducting the vehicle inspection?\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>What qualifications do they possess to conduct the inspection?\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Any copies of contracts with outside vendors that may provide these services.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>The CPUC also said that UberX must make its driver safety program mandatory, the Chronicle reported.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>UberX's \u003ca href=\"http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/NR/rdonlyres/E3470797-2DCB-463F-B898-E5F2697850BE/0/RaiserCALLCPermit.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">permit\u003c/a> (issued to its subsidiary, Rasier), is especially interesting because, as we found in a \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2014/01/30/lyft-uberx-driver-safety\" target=\"_blank\">report\u003c/a> earlier this year, the company was conducting inspections strictly by reviewing photos of applicants' vehicles. The CPUC decision requires TNCs to either conduct a 19-point inspection “prior to allowing the driver to operate the vehicle” or to have the vehicle inspected at a facility licensed by the California Bureau of Automotive Repair. None of the drivers we spoke to reported anyone from UberX ever looking at their cars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You have to submit photos of every angle of your car, and interior photos,” said Tyler Granlund, an UberX driver in Los Angeles. “Those had to be approved before you could drive.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The CPUC inspection mandate includes things like brakes, steering, headlights, seat belts, muffler and exhaust -- difficult items to assess, seemingly, from photos.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lyft, for its part, assigns what it calls \"mentors\" to inspect the vehicles of prospective drivers, providing checklists as guidance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition to the inspection requirements, the CPUC mandated the establishment of driver-training programs by TNCS to \"ensure that all drivers are safely operating the vehicle prior to the driver being able to offer service.\" The commission said TNCs had to report annually the number of drivers completing the course, and it gave each company 45 days to file its training program. UberX's filing was notable for its brevity: one page (including double spacing and double paragraph breaks). Filing as Rasier, its ride-service subsidiary, Uber submitted under a heading of “\u003ca href=\"http://www.scribd.com/doc/203225658/Rasier-Driver-Training-Program%E2%80%9D\" target=\"_blank\">Driver Training Program\u003c/a>” exactly four paragraphs, with the actual steps the company plans to enhance driver training expressed in two sentences:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>Rasier will also recommend that partners with less than five years of driving history take a driver training course at a school listed in the California DMV’s Occupational License Status Information System database. For each California city where Rasier partners operate, Rasier will provide, during the application or onboarding process, a list of three such local driving schools.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003c/strong>At the time, Uber told us it was \"in the process of preparing additional information for the CPUC.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We have asked the CPUC what changes Uber has made to its inspection and driver training programs in order for it to receive the permit, and are waiting to hear back. We also have a call out to Uber.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Before the latest round of permits were issued, the CPUC had approved licenses for Wingz and Summon, two smaller TNCs.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_118115\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-118115\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/11/lyft.jpg\" alt=\"Two agents from the same insurance company gave TNC driver different answers on whether they could provide coverage. (Deborah Svoboda/KQED)\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">(Photo by Deborah Svoboda/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In further signs that ride services like Lyft and UberX are probably here to stay, the California Public Utilities Commission last week issued both companies three-year permits to operate in the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lyft said in a \u003ca href=\"http://blog.lyft.com/posts/2014/4/10/lyft-receives-tnc-permit-from-cpuc\" target=\"_blank\">blog post\u003c/a> last week that it was \"thrilled\" to announce the issuance of the permit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"This is exciting progress,\" the post said. \"The CPUC’s framework serves as a sound example for other jurisdictions who are considering regulations for this new, peer-to-peer model. By supporting innovation and technology, these city and state leaders have the opportunity of paving the way for providing safe, affordable and sustainable transportation and we’re thrilled to be working with them to improve our cities of tomorrow.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An \u003ca href=\"http://blog.uber.com/TNCpermit\" target=\"_blank\">Uber post\u003c/a> announcing its permit said, \"The unprecedented growth in this industry and the leadership shown by California’s regulatory leaders sends a clear message. The innovation economy is thriving in California and the roadmap is simple: public safety and consumer choice go hand in hand.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lyft and UberX had been operating conditionally as the CPUC reviewed their applications. Just last month, the commission sent letters to both companies informing them they needed to correct \"deficiencies\" in their applications within 60 days or have them denied. The CPUC specifically singled out questions about the companies' vehicle inspection programs. As reported by the \u003ca href=\"http://blog.sfgate.com/techchron/2014/03/07/california-to-lyft-uber-sidecar-wingz-get-your-act-together/\" target=\"_blank\">San Francisco Chronicle\u003c/a>:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>The letter asked them to clarify\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Who is conducting the vehicle inspection?\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>What qualifications do they possess to conduct the inspection?\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Any copies of contracts with outside vendors that may provide these services.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>The CPUC also said that UberX must make its driver safety program mandatory, the Chronicle reported.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>UberX's \u003ca href=\"http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/NR/rdonlyres/E3470797-2DCB-463F-B898-E5F2697850BE/0/RaiserCALLCPermit.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">permit\u003c/a> (issued to its subsidiary, Rasier), is especially interesting because, as we found in a \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2014/01/30/lyft-uberx-driver-safety\" target=\"_blank\">report\u003c/a> earlier this year, the company was conducting inspections strictly by reviewing photos of applicants' vehicles. The CPUC decision requires TNCs to either conduct a 19-point inspection “prior to allowing the driver to operate the vehicle” or to have the vehicle inspected at a facility licensed by the California Bureau of Automotive Repair. None of the drivers we spoke to reported anyone from UberX ever looking at their cars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You have to submit photos of every angle of your car, and interior photos,” said Tyler Granlund, an UberX driver in Los Angeles. “Those had to be approved before you could drive.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The CPUC inspection mandate includes things like brakes, steering, headlights, seat belts, muffler and exhaust -- difficult items to assess, seemingly, from photos.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lyft, for its part, assigns what it calls \"mentors\" to inspect the vehicles of prospective drivers, providing checklists as guidance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition to the inspection requirements, the CPUC mandated the establishment of driver-training programs by TNCS to \"ensure that all drivers are safely operating the vehicle prior to the driver being able to offer service.\" The commission said TNCs had to report annually the number of drivers completing the course, and it gave each company 45 days to file its training program. UberX's filing was notable for its brevity: one page (including double spacing and double paragraph breaks). Filing as Rasier, its ride-service subsidiary, Uber submitted under a heading of “\u003ca href=\"http://www.scribd.com/doc/203225658/Rasier-Driver-Training-Program%E2%80%9D\" target=\"_blank\">Driver Training Program\u003c/a>” exactly four paragraphs, with the actual steps the company plans to enhance driver training expressed in two sentences:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>Rasier will also recommend that partners with less than five years of driving history take a driver training course at a school listed in the California DMV’s Occupational License Status Information System database. For each California city where Rasier partners operate, Rasier will provide, during the application or onboarding process, a list of three such local driving schools.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003c/strong>At the time, Uber told us it was \"in the process of preparing additional information for the CPUC.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We have asked the CPUC what changes Uber has made to its inspection and driver training programs in order for it to receive the permit, and are waiting to hear back. We also have a call out to Uber.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Before the latest round of permits were issued, the CPUC had approved licenses for Wingz and Summon, two smaller TNCs.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "after-leak-uber-publishes-its-insurance-policy-read-the-full-text",
"title": "Uber's Controversial Insurance Policy is Secret No More",
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"headTitle": "Uber’s Controversial Insurance Policy is Secret No More | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_126917\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 320px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-126917\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/01/RS8866_UberX_3-lpr-640x426.jpg\" alt=\"The California Public Utilities Commission requires Transportation Network Companies like UberX to display signage. (Jeremy Raff/KQED)\" width=\"320\" height=\"213\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">(Photo: Jeremy Raff/KQED) \u003ccite>(Jeremy Raff/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A couple of days ago, the \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfbg.com/politics/2014/03/24/uber%E2%80%99s-secret-%E2%80%9Cproprietary%E2%80%9D-insurance-policy-leaked\">San Francisco Bay Guardian\u003c/a> got hold of the holy grail of Lyft/UberX detractors, a document long sought by taxi companies and others calling for greater oversight of these ride services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Monday night, the Guardian posted \u003ca href=\"http://www.scribd.com/doc/214351992/Leaked-Uber-Insurance-Policy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Uber’s secret insurance policy\u003c/a>. The weekly said that someone sent it the document anonymously, and that it was sent to a number of taxi-industry advocates as well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Apparently in response, Uber soon \u003ca href=\"http://blog.uber.com/ridesharinginsurancepolicy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">posted the policy\u003c/a> on its own website. Uber wrote in a \u003ca href=\"http://blog.uber.com/ridesharinginsurancepolicy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">blog post\u003c/a>: “We are confident it is a best-in-class policy and hope that this additional transparency addresses any remaining questions about the insurance provided to ridesharing partners on our platform.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The policy was written by James River Insurance Co., based in Richmond, Virginia. How much Uber is paying in premiums is redacted in both the leaked and company versions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Secrecy an issue\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The taxi industry across the country has made a big issue of the non-public nature of the ride-services’ policies. In covering the issue over the past year, we have frequently heard from taxi companies, drivers and regulators that because these documents have been seen only by the California Public Utilities Commission, no one knows what exclusions and other conditions might get the companies off the hook — and its drivers on the hook — for liability costs in an accident.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[contextly_sidebar id=”249dc16385ce75265eee36c75804d273″]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But early indications are that those looking for a smoking gun to implicate Uber as engaging in insurance hocus-pocus may be disappointed. The Taxicab, Limousine & Paratransit Association — which appreciates the technological marvel of loosely regulated, app-based dispatch startups about as much as the music industry liked Napster — focused on the name of the company listed as insured on the policy. Under “name of insured,” it says “Rasier LLC,” which is a subsidiary of Uber.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is some sort of corporate shell game,” said William Rouse, past president of the TLPA and currently general manager of Los Angeles Yellow Cab. “The policy states that insurance kicks in only when Rasier LLC is liable. But Uber — not Rasier LLC — is the company providing for-hire transportation across the U.S. This could be the mechanism Uber uses to avoid paying out any insurance whatsoever. Why would any city allow Uber to operate on its streets with the company’s deceitful practices now on full display?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, “Uber Technologies Inc.” is indeed named as an “additional insured” in an addendum to the policy. (\u003cstrong>Update Thursday\u003c/strong>: Robert Passmore, senior director of personal lines policy at the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America, told the \u003ca href=\"http://blog.sfgate.com/techchron/2014/03/27/what-does-ubers-1-million-commercial-policy-cover/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">San Francisco Chronicle\u003c/a> this is not an unusual way to do things.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The insurance issue came to the fore after a fatal New Year’s Eve accident involving an UberX driver in San Francisco. Syed Muzaffar, driving an SUV, drove into a family in a Tenderloin crosswalk, killing 6-year-old Sofia Liu. Uber said the driver was not covered under the $1 million liability policy mandated by the CPUC because he was between calls.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Uber \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2014/03/14/uber-lyft-insurance/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">closed that gap to a certain degree\u003c/a> two weeks ago, when it announced it had added coverage for the period when a driver is logged into its app but not yet on a call. (Lyft said it would similarly augment its coverage.) However, UberX’s added coverage is capped at $100,000 total per incident for bodily injury and $25,000 per incident for property damage, the company said. That’s far less than the New Year’s Eve accident, for example, is likely to incur in terms of liability.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Controversy over insurance coverage has become a sort of Achilles’ heel for the fast-growing ride-service industry as it fights numerous \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2014/03/18/lyft-uber/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">regulatory battles\u003c/a> in multiple cities and states. In January, the California Department of Insurance issued a \u003ca href=\"http://www.insurance.ca.gov/0250-insurers/0300-insurers/0200-bulletins/bulletin-notices-commiss-opinion/TransNetwkDrvrs.cfm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">warning to ride-service drivers\u003c/a> about potential gaps in coverage that could leave them liable in an accident.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In Chicago recently, the City Council actually \u003ca href=\"http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2014-03-14/news/chi-city-council-subpoenas-insurance-records-from-rideshare-firms-20140313_1_ride-share-lyft-and-sidecar-taxi-drivers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">subpoenaed the policies\u003c/a> of UberX, Lyft and Sidecar in search of holes that could leave drivers and passengers unprotected. Meanwhile, there have been at least two reports of insurers canceling the personal auto coverage of ride-service drivers, leading many of them to \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2014/01/20/ride-sharing-insurance-lyft-uberx-sidecar/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">hide their status as commercial drivers\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The policy: Excess vs. primary insurance\u003cbr>\n\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can take a look at the insurance policy, which makes for fascinating reading if you’re an actuary, \u003ca href=\"http://www.scribd.com/doc/214351992/Leaked-Uber-Insurance-Policy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">here\u003c/a> or embedded at the end of this article. If you follow this stuff, I imagine you’re going to hear a fair bit of analysis over the next few days. We asked Pete Moraga of the \u003ca href=\"http://www.iinc.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Insurance Information Network of California\u003c/a>, someone who has expressed skepticism to us in the past about ride-service insurance, to take a look. He told us the contract contains a lot of standard boilerplate language and exclusions found in other insurance contracts. The \u003ca href=\"http://blog.sfgate.com/techchron/2014/03/27/what-does-ubers-1-million-commercial-policy-cover/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">San Francisco Chronicle\u003c/a> showed the policy to a couple of other insurance industry professionals, and they agreed there is nothing unusual about the policy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s still early, but all in all one would have to say the release of the policy has been a positive development for Uber and maybe the entire TNC industry. Why? Because, as previously mentioned, the taxi industry has been attempting to use the refusal of the TNCs to make their insurance policies public to sow distrust in them and create a sense that the coverage likely includes a host of conditions unfavorable to drivers and the public. So far, that does not look to be true.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That doesn’t mean there aren’t still issues with TNC insurance. Uber’s policy functions as excess insurance for drivers who contract with the company. Excess insurance is meant to supplement a primary policy, paying claims where the primary insurance leaves off. The TNCs have always said that should a driver’s personal insurance fail to cover an accident, their excess coverage will “drop down” to become primary insurance, picking up the entire tab if necessary. But the insurance industry has said repeatedly that drivers’ personal policies will \u003cem>never\u003c/em> cover an accident involving a ride-service vehicle, because personal policies routinely exclude coverage for commercial use. TNCs, however, have insisted that claims are getting through on personal policies. To which some in the insurance and taxi industries have replied that’s only because those insurers don’t actually \u003cem>know \u003c/em>that the accidents occurred during a TNC call.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>OK, to the seven insurance industry people still reading, let’s put it this way: During a hearing last week on TNC insurance issues held by California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones, \u003ca href=\"http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/blog/2014/03/insurance-groups-uber-lyft-sidecar.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+bizj_sanfrancisco+%28San+Francisco+Business+Times%29\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">insurance groups said the ride-services were basically getting a free ride\u003c/a>, no pun intended, by relying on drivers’ personal insurance to cover some claims.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s one reason the taxi industry is so angry: They pay for primary insurance, which is more expensive because it covers more claims than excess insurance. When the CPUC hammered out its TNC rules last year, the California Department of Insurance issued an opinion that its preferred option would have been to require that ride services carry \u003ca href=\"http://www.irmi.com/online/insurance-glossary/terms/p/primary-cover.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">primary insurance\u003c/a>, because a dual system of commercial excess insurance sitting on top of personal primary insurance could result in confusion to consumers and drivers who need to file claims.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the department also said an excess, drop-down policy would suffice as the next-best thing, and the CPUC declined to require that TNCs get primary insurance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pete Moraga, from the Insurance Information Network of California, said Uber’s policy still “begs the question: Did (Uber) purchase the excess policy knowing that drivers’ own policies would not cover commercial use of the auto, or did they try to imply to drivers signing up that their own personal policy would cover them?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lane Kasselman of Uber’s communications department responded with this:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our teams work with partner drivers to answer any questions they have about a range of issues, including insurance. As a matter of law, all California drivers are required to have auto insurance, so we require that drivers have it to partner with us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Personal auto insurance is a contract between the driver and their insurer. Most personal auto insurance policies contain an exclusion for transporting passengers for hire, that’s why we have the commercial policy in place. We tell drivers to report all accidents to their personal insurance provider, and we report it to our insurance at the same time. We expect drivers to be truthful with all parties involved.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>CPUC takes another look\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Tuesday the CPUC issued a \u003ca href=\"http://docs.cpuc.ca.gov/PublishedDocs/Efile/G000/M089/K247/89247822.PDF\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">call for comments\u003c/a> on proposed modifications to the regulations it issued last year. Among the changes floated is the requirement that TNC insurance go into effect “when the TNC app is open and available to accept rides” — in other words, between calls. This is a change that UberX and Lyft have said they have already made, and one that would have extended coverage to Syed Muzaffar, the UberX driver in the New Year’s Eve accident, who was waiting to be assigned a passenger when the accident occurred.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The CPUC is also proposing that TNCs be required to offer $1,000,000 in uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage; $50,000 in comprehensive coverage (theft, fire, vandalism); $50,000 in collision coverage (when the accident is the driver’s fault); and $5,000 in medical payments due to bodily injury sustained by the driver or passengers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The document from CPUC Commissioner Michael Peevey said, “While efforts to craft market-based solutions are certainly appreciated, not all of the TNCs who have filed applications with the Commission have voluntarily proposed solutions to close the acknowledged insurance gap. Thus, the assigned Commissioner believes it is incumbent on the Commission to consider fashioning a remedy that will apply on an industry-wide basis.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Uber said it “strongly supports requests for public comment,” because “for far too long transportation regulation has been made in the dark, and it’s long past time the riding public had a say.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Note: In t\u003c/em>\u003cem>he original \u003c/em>\u003cem>version of this \u003c/em>\u003cem>article, one insurance expert called into question whether the text of Uber’s policy specified that drivers would be covered if their personal insurance policy declined to do so. However, when \u003c/em>\u003cem>U\u003c/em>\u003cem>ber pointed out \u003c/em>\u003cem>to us \u003c/em>\u003cem>where that issue was \u003c/em>\u003cem>in fact \u003c/em>\u003cem>addressed, the expert agreed with them\u003c/em>\u003cem>, and therefore \u003c/em>\u003cem>we \u003c/em>\u003cem>have deleted that section of the \u003c/em>\u003cem>original\u003c/em>\u003cem> \u003c/em>\u003cem>article\u003c/em>\u003cem>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv>\u003c/div>\n\u003cp style=\"margin: 12px auto 6px auto;font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-style: normal;font-variant: normal;font-weight: normal;font-size: 14px;line-height: normal\">\u003ca style=\"text-decoration: underline\" title=\"View Leaked Uber Insurance Policy on Scribd\" href=\"http://www.scribd.com/doc/214351992/Leaked-Uber-Insurance-Policy\">Uber Insurance Policy\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"doc_30317\" src=\"//www.scribd.com/embeds/214351992/content?start_page=1&view_mode=scroll&access_key=key-2dmro6l4w8g0wd3j8v5g&show_recommendations=true\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" width=\"100%\" height=\"600\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_126917\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 320px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-126917\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/01/RS8866_UberX_3-lpr-640x426.jpg\" alt=\"The California Public Utilities Commission requires Transportation Network Companies like UberX to display signage. (Jeremy Raff/KQED)\" width=\"320\" height=\"213\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">(Photo: Jeremy Raff/KQED) \u003ccite>(Jeremy Raff/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A couple of days ago, the \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfbg.com/politics/2014/03/24/uber%E2%80%99s-secret-%E2%80%9Cproprietary%E2%80%9D-insurance-policy-leaked\">San Francisco Bay Guardian\u003c/a> got hold of the holy grail of Lyft/UberX detractors, a document long sought by taxi companies and others calling for greater oversight of these ride services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Monday night, the Guardian posted \u003ca href=\"http://www.scribd.com/doc/214351992/Leaked-Uber-Insurance-Policy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Uber’s secret insurance policy\u003c/a>. The weekly said that someone sent it the document anonymously, and that it was sent to a number of taxi-industry advocates as well.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Apparently in response, Uber soon \u003ca href=\"http://blog.uber.com/ridesharinginsurancepolicy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">posted the policy\u003c/a> on its own website. Uber wrote in a \u003ca href=\"http://blog.uber.com/ridesharinginsurancepolicy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">blog post\u003c/a>: “We are confident it is a best-in-class policy and hope that this additional transparency addresses any remaining questions about the insurance provided to ridesharing partners on our platform.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The policy was written by James River Insurance Co., based in Richmond, Virginia. How much Uber is paying in premiums is redacted in both the leaked and company versions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Secrecy an issue\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The taxi industry across the country has made a big issue of the non-public nature of the ride-services’ policies. In covering the issue over the past year, we have frequently heard from taxi companies, drivers and regulators that because these documents have been seen only by the California Public Utilities Commission, no one knows what exclusions and other conditions might get the companies off the hook — and its drivers on the hook — for liability costs in an accident.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But early indications are that those looking for a smoking gun to implicate Uber as engaging in insurance hocus-pocus may be disappointed. The Taxicab, Limousine & Paratransit Association — which appreciates the technological marvel of loosely regulated, app-based dispatch startups about as much as the music industry liked Napster — focused on the name of the company listed as insured on the policy. Under “name of insured,” it says “Rasier LLC,” which is a subsidiary of Uber.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is some sort of corporate shell game,” said William Rouse, past president of the TLPA and currently general manager of Los Angeles Yellow Cab. “The policy states that insurance kicks in only when Rasier LLC is liable. But Uber — not Rasier LLC — is the company providing for-hire transportation across the U.S. This could be the mechanism Uber uses to avoid paying out any insurance whatsoever. Why would any city allow Uber to operate on its streets with the company’s deceitful practices now on full display?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, “Uber Technologies Inc.” is indeed named as an “additional insured” in an addendum to the policy. (\u003cstrong>Update Thursday\u003c/strong>: Robert Passmore, senior director of personal lines policy at the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America, told the \u003ca href=\"http://blog.sfgate.com/techchron/2014/03/27/what-does-ubers-1-million-commercial-policy-cover/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">San Francisco Chronicle\u003c/a> this is not an unusual way to do things.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The insurance issue came to the fore after a fatal New Year’s Eve accident involving an UberX driver in San Francisco. Syed Muzaffar, driving an SUV, drove into a family in a Tenderloin crosswalk, killing 6-year-old Sofia Liu. Uber said the driver was not covered under the $1 million liability policy mandated by the CPUC because he was between calls.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Uber \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2014/03/14/uber-lyft-insurance/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">closed that gap to a certain degree\u003c/a> two weeks ago, when it announced it had added coverage for the period when a driver is logged into its app but not yet on a call. (Lyft said it would similarly augment its coverage.) However, UberX’s added coverage is capped at $100,000 total per incident for bodily injury and $25,000 per incident for property damage, the company said. That’s far less than the New Year’s Eve accident, for example, is likely to incur in terms of liability.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Controversy over insurance coverage has become a sort of Achilles’ heel for the fast-growing ride-service industry as it fights numerous \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2014/03/18/lyft-uber/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">regulatory battles\u003c/a> in multiple cities and states. In January, the California Department of Insurance issued a \u003ca href=\"http://www.insurance.ca.gov/0250-insurers/0300-insurers/0200-bulletins/bulletin-notices-commiss-opinion/TransNetwkDrvrs.cfm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">warning to ride-service drivers\u003c/a> about potential gaps in coverage that could leave them liable in an accident.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In Chicago recently, the City Council actually \u003ca href=\"http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2014-03-14/news/chi-city-council-subpoenas-insurance-records-from-rideshare-firms-20140313_1_ride-share-lyft-and-sidecar-taxi-drivers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">subpoenaed the policies\u003c/a> of UberX, Lyft and Sidecar in search of holes that could leave drivers and passengers unprotected. Meanwhile, there have been at least two reports of insurers canceling the personal auto coverage of ride-service drivers, leading many of them to \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2014/01/20/ride-sharing-insurance-lyft-uberx-sidecar/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">hide their status as commercial drivers\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The policy: Excess vs. primary insurance\u003cbr>\n\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can take a look at the insurance policy, which makes for fascinating reading if you’re an actuary, \u003ca href=\"http://www.scribd.com/doc/214351992/Leaked-Uber-Insurance-Policy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">here\u003c/a> or embedded at the end of this article. If you follow this stuff, I imagine you’re going to hear a fair bit of analysis over the next few days. We asked Pete Moraga of the \u003ca href=\"http://www.iinc.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Insurance Information Network of California\u003c/a>, someone who has expressed skepticism to us in the past about ride-service insurance, to take a look. He told us the contract contains a lot of standard boilerplate language and exclusions found in other insurance contracts. The \u003ca href=\"http://blog.sfgate.com/techchron/2014/03/27/what-does-ubers-1-million-commercial-policy-cover/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">San Francisco Chronicle\u003c/a> showed the policy to a couple of other insurance industry professionals, and they agreed there is nothing unusual about the policy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s still early, but all in all one would have to say the release of the policy has been a positive development for Uber and maybe the entire TNC industry. Why? Because, as previously mentioned, the taxi industry has been attempting to use the refusal of the TNCs to make their insurance policies public to sow distrust in them and create a sense that the coverage likely includes a host of conditions unfavorable to drivers and the public. So far, that does not look to be true.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That doesn’t mean there aren’t still issues with TNC insurance. Uber’s policy functions as excess insurance for drivers who contract with the company. Excess insurance is meant to supplement a primary policy, paying claims where the primary insurance leaves off. The TNCs have always said that should a driver’s personal insurance fail to cover an accident, their excess coverage will “drop down” to become primary insurance, picking up the entire tab if necessary. But the insurance industry has said repeatedly that drivers’ personal policies will \u003cem>never\u003c/em> cover an accident involving a ride-service vehicle, because personal policies routinely exclude coverage for commercial use. TNCs, however, have insisted that claims are getting through on personal policies. To which some in the insurance and taxi industries have replied that’s only because those insurers don’t actually \u003cem>know \u003c/em>that the accidents occurred during a TNC call.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>OK, to the seven insurance industry people still reading, let’s put it this way: During a hearing last week on TNC insurance issues held by California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones, \u003ca href=\"http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/blog/2014/03/insurance-groups-uber-lyft-sidecar.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+bizj_sanfrancisco+%28San+Francisco+Business+Times%29\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">insurance groups said the ride-services were basically getting a free ride\u003c/a>, no pun intended, by relying on drivers’ personal insurance to cover some claims.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s one reason the taxi industry is so angry: They pay for primary insurance, which is more expensive because it covers more claims than excess insurance. When the CPUC hammered out its TNC rules last year, the California Department of Insurance issued an opinion that its preferred option would have been to require that ride services carry \u003ca href=\"http://www.irmi.com/online/insurance-glossary/terms/p/primary-cover.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">primary insurance\u003c/a>, because a dual system of commercial excess insurance sitting on top of personal primary insurance could result in confusion to consumers and drivers who need to file claims.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the department also said an excess, drop-down policy would suffice as the next-best thing, and the CPUC declined to require that TNCs get primary insurance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pete Moraga, from the Insurance Information Network of California, said Uber’s policy still “begs the question: Did (Uber) purchase the excess policy knowing that drivers’ own policies would not cover commercial use of the auto, or did they try to imply to drivers signing up that their own personal policy would cover them?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lane Kasselman of Uber’s communications department responded with this:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our teams work with partner drivers to answer any questions they have about a range of issues, including insurance. As a matter of law, all California drivers are required to have auto insurance, so we require that drivers have it to partner with us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Personal auto insurance is a contract between the driver and their insurer. Most personal auto insurance policies contain an exclusion for transporting passengers for hire, that’s why we have the commercial policy in place. We tell drivers to report all accidents to their personal insurance provider, and we report it to our insurance at the same time. We expect drivers to be truthful with all parties involved.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>CPUC takes another look\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Tuesday the CPUC issued a \u003ca href=\"http://docs.cpuc.ca.gov/PublishedDocs/Efile/G000/M089/K247/89247822.PDF\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">call for comments\u003c/a> on proposed modifications to the regulations it issued last year. Among the changes floated is the requirement that TNC insurance go into effect “when the TNC app is open and available to accept rides” — in other words, between calls. This is a change that UberX and Lyft have said they have already made, and one that would have extended coverage to Syed Muzaffar, the UberX driver in the New Year’s Eve accident, who was waiting to be assigned a passenger when the accident occurred.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The CPUC is also proposing that TNCs be required to offer $1,000,000 in uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage; $50,000 in comprehensive coverage (theft, fire, vandalism); $50,000 in collision coverage (when the accident is the driver’s fault); and $5,000 in medical payments due to bodily injury sustained by the driver or passengers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The document from CPUC Commissioner Michael Peevey said, “While efforts to craft market-based solutions are certainly appreciated, not all of the TNCs who have filed applications with the Commission have voluntarily proposed solutions to close the acknowledged insurance gap. Thus, the assigned Commissioner believes it is incumbent on the Commission to consider fashioning a remedy that will apply on an industry-wide basis.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Uber said it “strongly supports requests for public comment,” because “for far too long transportation regulation has been made in the dark, and it’s long past time the riding public had a say.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Note: In t\u003c/em>\u003cem>he original \u003c/em>\u003cem>version of this \u003c/em>\u003cem>article, one insurance expert called into question whether the text of Uber’s policy specified that drivers would be covered if their personal insurance policy declined to do so. However, when \u003c/em>\u003cem>U\u003c/em>\u003cem>ber pointed out \u003c/em>\u003cem>to us \u003c/em>\u003cem>where that issue was \u003c/em>\u003cem>in fact \u003c/em>\u003cem>addressed, the expert agreed with them\u003c/em>\u003cem>, and therefore \u003c/em>\u003cem>we \u003c/em>\u003cem>have deleted that section of the \u003c/em>\u003cem>original\u003c/em>\u003cem> \u003c/em>\u003cem>article\u003c/em>\u003cem>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv>\u003c/div>\n\u003cp style=\"margin: 12px auto 6px auto;font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-style: normal;font-variant: normal;font-weight: normal;font-size: 14px;line-height: normal\">\u003ca style=\"text-decoration: underline\" title=\"View Leaked Uber Insurance Policy on Scribd\" href=\"http://www.scribd.com/doc/214351992/Leaked-Uber-Insurance-Policy\">Uber Insurance Policy\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"disqusTitle": "Seattle, Chicago Put the Screws to Lyft, UberX",
"title": "Seattle, Chicago Put the Screws to Lyft, UberX",
"headTitle": "News Fix | KQED News",
"content": "\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_117417\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-117417\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/10/5996_transform.jpg\" alt=\"A protester mocks ride service Lyft and its signature pink mustaches atcab driver rally outside San Francisco City Hall. (Alex Emslie/KQED)\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A protester mocks ride service Lyft and its signature pink mustaches at cab driver rally outside San Francisco City Hall. (Alex Emslie/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The big news in the ride-service world today is that the \u003ca href=\"http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattlepolitics/2014/03/17/council-votes-to-limit-regulate-ride-share-firms/#20586101=0\">Seattle City Council voted to cap\u003c/a> the number of drivers that Lyft, UberX and Sidecar can put on the road. The legislation, which the city's mayor, Ed Murray, has agreed to sign, limits each ride-service company to 150 drivers, or 450 total, in simultaneous operation. The Seattle Times reports the three companies, all based in San Francisco, together have 2,000 drivers in the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The legislation is a big setback for the ride-service firms. Some time ago, we here at KQED decided to use that term, \"ride-services,\" to describe these app-based ride-for-hire firms. That's because the California Public Utilities Commission officially ruled that the term \"ride-sharing,\" which the companies still use, incorrectly describes these commercial enterprises. The CPUC officially calls them transportation network companies, or TNCs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[contextly_sidebar id=\"ae252f895b365ef403437f7b0bcc0a25\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While that term is not as warm and fuzzy as \"ride-sharing,\" it's better than \"Spawns of Satan\" (or SOS), the nomenclature recommended by the taxi industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Well, not really. But having talked to a few dozen cab industry folks over the last few months, I feel I can accurately report that a majority of them really do despise these tech upstarts. And I imagine that's true across the country where, as in Seattle, a series of small wars has erupted in city after city as Lyft and Uber have taken root. In Chicago, for instance, the \u003ca href=\"http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2014-03-14/news/chi-city-council-subpoenas-insurance-records-from-rideshare-firms-20140313_1_ride-share-lyft-and-sidecar-taxi-drivers\" target=\"_blank\">City Council recently sent subpoenas\u003c/a> to ride-service firms, ordering them to turn over copies of their insurance policies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both sides in this conflict have their talking points. In San Francisco, where taxi service has been notoriously spotty, the TNCs, their fans and even some cab-industry folks say the taxi business has no one but itself to blame for the considerable loss of customers. Meanwhile, taxi interests contend the TNCs continue to enjoy a huge competitive advantage because of the relatively loose CPUC regulations they operate under, as opposed to the strict municipal rules with which taxis must contend.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This could change. On March 6, the \u003ca href=\"http://blog.sfgate.com/techchron/2014/03/07/california-to-lyft-uber-sidecar-wingz-get-your-act-together/\" target=\"_blank\">San Francisco Chronicle reported\u003c/a>, the CPUC warned Lyft, UberX (Uber's TNC service), Sidecar and Wingz, two other ride-service companies, that they had 60 days to \"complete deficiencies\" in their applications to become officially certified. (They currently operate under a temporary order.) According to the Chron:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>The most serious omission was information about how they inspect drivers’ vehicles. … The letter asked them to clarify:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>Who is conducting the vehicle inspection?\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>What qualifications do they possess to conduct the inspection?\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>Any copies of contracts with outside vendors that may provide these services.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>(You can read our own \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2014/01/30/lyft-uberx-driver-safety\" target=\"_blank\">investigation here into safety and inspection issues at UberX.\u003c/a>)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The CPUC has also said it will take stock of how well its TNC regulations are working in the fall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here's a rundown of developments in different cities where regulatory skirmishes in the TNC war have flared recently.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Baltimore\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>The popular ride-share company Uber began urging Baltimore users this month to help \"save\" it, declaring that \"Uber's future in Maryland is in jeopardy.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Uber launched the public relations campaign as state regulators waded into the same dispute that embroiled the company in other cities as it and other technology-based ride-sharing operations disrupt the local taxi market....\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>State lawmakers in Annapolis are considering how — and whether — to craft new regulations to oversee drivers who pick up riders through smartphone apps.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>--\u003ca href=\"http://touch.baltimoresun.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-79626327/\">Baltimore Sun\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Boulder\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>Uber — the popular, yet controversial, startup that brought its \"e-hailing\" ride-sharing service to Denver in 2012 — is weighing a broader push up the U.S. 36 corridor into Boulder.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Officials for the San Francisco-based company told the Daily Camera that they're conducting a soft launch in Boulder, a tech startup-friendly city home to some high-profile advocates of the mobile app that allows users to secure a ride with an Uber-connected driver....\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Uber has not contacted Boulder's licensing department to inquire about operating in the city, said Sarah Huntley, a spokeswoman for the city of Boulder. A business such as Uber would need a business license, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>--\u003ca href=\"http://www.dailycamera.com/boulder-business/ci_25351676/transportation-startup-uber-eyes-push-into-boulder\">Boulder Daily Camera\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Chicago\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>The three major for-profit ride-share companies operating virtually unregulated in Chicago face a Friday deadline to respond to subpoenas calling on them to turn over copies of their insurance policies, which critics contend fail to protect the public.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The subpoenas that the City Council sent this month to Uber X, Lyft and Sidecar came up during a state Senate Transportation Committee hearing Thursday in Chicago that focused on the “insurance gap” involving ride-share companies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Insurance experts, some aldermen and taxicab companies that fear the industry is eroding their business have sounded alarms that ride-share customers don't know how vulnerable they are for any medical or other expenses resulting from an accident involving a ride-share vehicle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Unlike taxi drivers and cab companies, the ride-share firms are not required to submit their insurance policies to the city or the state, and they have not done so voluntarily, state and city officials said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>--\u003ca href=\"http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2014-03-14/news/chi-city-council-subpoenas-insurance-records-from-rideshare-firms-20140313_1_ride-share-lyft-and-sidecar-taxi-drivers\" target=\"_blank\">Chicago Tribune\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Houston\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>The city of Houston's administration and regulatory affairs, or ARA, department issued a safety warning yesterday for Lyft customers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The warning urged Houstonians to question the safety of Lyft cars, which are distinguishable by their pink mustaches.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The warning could also could be the sign of another stumbling block and continuing delays in crafting new legislation to allow or deny Lyft and similar transportation services in Houston.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>--\u003ca href=\"http://upstart.bizjournals.com/news/wire/2014/03/13/houston-to-lyft-we-have-a-problem.html\">Houston Business Journal\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Madison\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>Madison police have not issued any tickets to drivers from ride-sharing apps Lyft and Uber, who were active in the city over the weekend despite warnings from officials and threats of citations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Madison City Attorney’s Office issued a memorandum last week finding that the companies are operating as taxis, meaning they are violating city ordinances.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That led Madison police on Wednesday to ask the drivers to stop giving rides, saying they could face fines of hundreds of dollars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv>--\u003ca href=\"http://host.madison.com/news/local/ride-sharing-apps-operate-against-police-wishes-but-no-citations/article_ef90f391-4e1f-55c1-a9bc-d1b6f2cecc7d.html#ixzz2wJlFjFxW\" target=\"_blank\">Wisconsin State Journal\u003c/a>\u003c/div>\n\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nashville\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>A loophole in Metro Nashville's transportation law means drivers of popular ride-sharing services like Lyft and Uber could be issued citations for not having the proper permits to carry passengers, who pay for their rides.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Metro Code 6.74.100, all \"for hire\" passengers vehicles operating in Davidson County must have an \"F\" for hire endorsement on their license and commercial plates when carrying passengers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As it stands, the Metro Transportation Licensing Commission is not currently issuing permits to drivers of cars services like Lyft and Uber mainly because county officials said they haven't had a chance to draft legislation that properly regulates the new services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>--\u003ca href=\"http://www.newschannel5.com/story/24999313/loophole-leaves-lyft-uber-drivers-vulnerable-for-tickets\" target=\"_blank\">NewsChannel5\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Phoenix\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>Technology-driven ride-sharing companies Uber and Lyft are battling Discount Cab and AAA Arizona at the Arizona Legislature over proposed industry and insurance rules.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The battle is over Arizona House Bill 2273 and what kind of insurance rules govern new ride-sharing businesses in comparison to taxis and other livery services. The ride-sharing businesses utilize smartphone and computer applications that allow those seeking rides to hook up with independent drivers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/pagead/adview?ai=BpvkMX60oU42xMYeulAKj1ICQB_HqzPgEAAAAEAEgADgAWKn_hLCRAWDJ9viGyKOgGYIBF2NhLXB1Yi05NzM2MDkyNjA0Njc3NTE2sgETd3d3LmJpempvdXJuYWxzLmNvbboBCWdmcF9pbWFnZcgBCdoBaWh0dHA6Ly93d3cuYml6am91cm5hbHMuY29tL3Bob2VuaXgvbmV3cy8yMDE0LzAzLzEzL3JpZGUtc2hhcmluZy1jb21wYW5pZXMtYmF0dGxpbmctd2l0aC1kaXNjb3VudC1jYWIuaHRtbJgCrtABwAIC4AIA6gIdNDYzNS9iemoucGhvZW5peC9hcnRpY2xlX3BhZ2X4AoPSHpADrAKYA-ADqAMB4AQBkgULCAcQARgBIPGwzBigBiA&sigh=_epBUj2E57A&adurl=http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/imgad/1482981/InterstitialTemplate2014_chase.html%3Ft%3D10%26cT%3Dhttp%253A//bizjournals.com%26l%3Dhttp%253A//www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/search/results%253Fq%253DSteve%252520Thompson\">Steve Thompson\u003c/a>, general manager for San Francisco-based Uber’s Phoenix operations, said the Arizona bill puts state regulations and rules around his company’s business model including insurance and background checks it has for independent drivers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>--\u003ca href=\"http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/news/2014/03/13/ride-sharing-companies-battling-with-discount-cab.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+vertical_43+%28Networking+Industry+News%29\" target=\"_blank\">Phoenix Business Journal\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Tampa\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>When Lyft began advertising online recently for drivers in Tampa, the county's taxi regulating agency noticed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We welcome your interest in the Tampa Bay area and the potential for expanded use of new innovative technologies in transportation services,\" reads a letter sent Friday to the San Francisco-based ride-sharing service by the interim executive director of the Public Transportation Commission.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Kevin Jackson continued: The PTC has the final word ....\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Uber (said in 2012) that its experience with the PTC had dissuaded it from coming back here again.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>--\u003ca href=\"http://www.tampabay.com/news/transportation/as-ride-sharing-service-eyes-tampa-county-regulators-get-involved/2170407\">Tampa Bay Times\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_117417\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-117417\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/10/5996_transform.jpg\" alt=\"A protester mocks ride service Lyft and its signature pink mustaches atcab driver rally outside San Francisco City Hall. (Alex Emslie/KQED)\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A protester mocks ride service Lyft and its signature pink mustaches at cab driver rally outside San Francisco City Hall. (Alex Emslie/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The big news in the ride-service world today is that the \u003ca href=\"http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattlepolitics/2014/03/17/council-votes-to-limit-regulate-ride-share-firms/#20586101=0\">Seattle City Council voted to cap\u003c/a> the number of drivers that Lyft, UberX and Sidecar can put on the road. The legislation, which the city's mayor, Ed Murray, has agreed to sign, limits each ride-service company to 150 drivers, or 450 total, in simultaneous operation. The Seattle Times reports the three companies, all based in San Francisco, together have 2,000 drivers in the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The legislation is a big setback for the ride-service firms. Some time ago, we here at KQED decided to use that term, \"ride-services,\" to describe these app-based ride-for-hire firms. That's because the California Public Utilities Commission officially ruled that the term \"ride-sharing,\" which the companies still use, incorrectly describes these commercial enterprises. The CPUC officially calls them transportation network companies, or TNCs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While that term is not as warm and fuzzy as \"ride-sharing,\" it's better than \"Spawns of Satan\" (or SOS), the nomenclature recommended by the taxi industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Well, not really. But having talked to a few dozen cab industry folks over the last few months, I feel I can accurately report that a majority of them really do despise these tech upstarts. And I imagine that's true across the country where, as in Seattle, a series of small wars has erupted in city after city as Lyft and Uber have taken root. In Chicago, for instance, the \u003ca href=\"http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2014-03-14/news/chi-city-council-subpoenas-insurance-records-from-rideshare-firms-20140313_1_ride-share-lyft-and-sidecar-taxi-drivers\" target=\"_blank\">City Council recently sent subpoenas\u003c/a> to ride-service firms, ordering them to turn over copies of their insurance policies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both sides in this conflict have their talking points. In San Francisco, where taxi service has been notoriously spotty, the TNCs, their fans and even some cab-industry folks say the taxi business has no one but itself to blame for the considerable loss of customers. Meanwhile, taxi interests contend the TNCs continue to enjoy a huge competitive advantage because of the relatively loose CPUC regulations they operate under, as opposed to the strict municipal rules with which taxis must contend.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This could change. On March 6, the \u003ca href=\"http://blog.sfgate.com/techchron/2014/03/07/california-to-lyft-uber-sidecar-wingz-get-your-act-together/\" target=\"_blank\">San Francisco Chronicle reported\u003c/a>, the CPUC warned Lyft, UberX (Uber's TNC service), Sidecar and Wingz, two other ride-service companies, that they had 60 days to \"complete deficiencies\" in their applications to become officially certified. (They currently operate under a temporary order.) According to the Chron:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>The most serious omission was information about how they inspect drivers’ vehicles. … The letter asked them to clarify:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>Who is conducting the vehicle inspection?\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>What qualifications do they possess to conduct the inspection?\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>Any copies of contracts with outside vendors that may provide these services.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>(You can read our own \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2014/01/30/lyft-uberx-driver-safety\" target=\"_blank\">investigation here into safety and inspection issues at UberX.\u003c/a>)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The CPUC has also said it will take stock of how well its TNC regulations are working in the fall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here's a rundown of developments in different cities where regulatory skirmishes in the TNC war have flared recently.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Baltimore\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>The popular ride-share company Uber began urging Baltimore users this month to help \"save\" it, declaring that \"Uber's future in Maryland is in jeopardy.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Uber launched the public relations campaign as state regulators waded into the same dispute that embroiled the company in other cities as it and other technology-based ride-sharing operations disrupt the local taxi market....\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>State lawmakers in Annapolis are considering how — and whether — to craft new regulations to oversee drivers who pick up riders through smartphone apps.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>--\u003ca href=\"http://touch.baltimoresun.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-79626327/\">Baltimore Sun\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Boulder\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>Uber — the popular, yet controversial, startup that brought its \"e-hailing\" ride-sharing service to Denver in 2012 — is weighing a broader push up the U.S. 36 corridor into Boulder.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Officials for the San Francisco-based company told the Daily Camera that they're conducting a soft launch in Boulder, a tech startup-friendly city home to some high-profile advocates of the mobile app that allows users to secure a ride with an Uber-connected driver....\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Uber has not contacted Boulder's licensing department to inquire about operating in the city, said Sarah Huntley, a spokeswoman for the city of Boulder. A business such as Uber would need a business license, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>--\u003ca href=\"http://www.dailycamera.com/boulder-business/ci_25351676/transportation-startup-uber-eyes-push-into-boulder\">Boulder Daily Camera\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Chicago\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>The three major for-profit ride-share companies operating virtually unregulated in Chicago face a Friday deadline to respond to subpoenas calling on them to turn over copies of their insurance policies, which critics contend fail to protect the public.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The subpoenas that the City Council sent this month to Uber X, Lyft and Sidecar came up during a state Senate Transportation Committee hearing Thursday in Chicago that focused on the “insurance gap” involving ride-share companies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Insurance experts, some aldermen and taxicab companies that fear the industry is eroding their business have sounded alarms that ride-share customers don't know how vulnerable they are for any medical or other expenses resulting from an accident involving a ride-share vehicle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Unlike taxi drivers and cab companies, the ride-share firms are not required to submit their insurance policies to the city or the state, and they have not done so voluntarily, state and city officials said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>--\u003ca href=\"http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2014-03-14/news/chi-city-council-subpoenas-insurance-records-from-rideshare-firms-20140313_1_ride-share-lyft-and-sidecar-taxi-drivers\" target=\"_blank\">Chicago Tribune\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Houston\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>The city of Houston's administration and regulatory affairs, or ARA, department issued a safety warning yesterday for Lyft customers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The warning urged Houstonians to question the safety of Lyft cars, which are distinguishable by their pink mustaches.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The warning could also could be the sign of another stumbling block and continuing delays in crafting new legislation to allow or deny Lyft and similar transportation services in Houston.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>--\u003ca href=\"http://upstart.bizjournals.com/news/wire/2014/03/13/houston-to-lyft-we-have-a-problem.html\">Houston Business Journal\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Madison\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>Madison police have not issued any tickets to drivers from ride-sharing apps Lyft and Uber, who were active in the city over the weekend despite warnings from officials and threats of citations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Madison City Attorney’s Office issued a memorandum last week finding that the companies are operating as taxis, meaning they are violating city ordinances.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That led Madison police on Wednesday to ask the drivers to stop giving rides, saying they could face fines of hundreds of dollars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv>--\u003ca href=\"http://host.madison.com/news/local/ride-sharing-apps-operate-against-police-wishes-but-no-citations/article_ef90f391-4e1f-55c1-a9bc-d1b6f2cecc7d.html#ixzz2wJlFjFxW\" target=\"_blank\">Wisconsin State Journal\u003c/a>\u003c/div>\n\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Nashville\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>A loophole in Metro Nashville's transportation law means drivers of popular ride-sharing services like Lyft and Uber could be issued citations for not having the proper permits to carry passengers, who pay for their rides.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Metro Code 6.74.100, all \"for hire\" passengers vehicles operating in Davidson County must have an \"F\" for hire endorsement on their license and commercial plates when carrying passengers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As it stands, the Metro Transportation Licensing Commission is not currently issuing permits to drivers of cars services like Lyft and Uber mainly because county officials said they haven't had a chance to draft legislation that properly regulates the new services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>--\u003ca href=\"http://www.newschannel5.com/story/24999313/loophole-leaves-lyft-uber-drivers-vulnerable-for-tickets\" target=\"_blank\">NewsChannel5\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Phoenix\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>Technology-driven ride-sharing companies Uber and Lyft are battling Discount Cab and AAA Arizona at the Arizona Legislature over proposed industry and insurance rules.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The battle is over Arizona House Bill 2273 and what kind of insurance rules govern new ride-sharing businesses in comparison to taxis and other livery services. The ride-sharing businesses utilize smartphone and computer applications that allow those seeking rides to hook up with independent drivers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/pagead/adview?ai=BpvkMX60oU42xMYeulAKj1ICQB_HqzPgEAAAAEAEgADgAWKn_hLCRAWDJ9viGyKOgGYIBF2NhLXB1Yi05NzM2MDkyNjA0Njc3NTE2sgETd3d3LmJpempvdXJuYWxzLmNvbboBCWdmcF9pbWFnZcgBCdoBaWh0dHA6Ly93d3cuYml6am91cm5hbHMuY29tL3Bob2VuaXgvbmV3cy8yMDE0LzAzLzEzL3JpZGUtc2hhcmluZy1jb21wYW5pZXMtYmF0dGxpbmctd2l0aC1kaXNjb3VudC1jYWIuaHRtbJgCrtABwAIC4AIA6gIdNDYzNS9iemoucGhvZW5peC9hcnRpY2xlX3BhZ2X4AoPSHpADrAKYA-ADqAMB4AQBkgULCAcQARgBIPGwzBigBiA&sigh=_epBUj2E57A&adurl=http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/imgad/1482981/InterstitialTemplate2014_chase.html%3Ft%3D10%26cT%3Dhttp%253A//bizjournals.com%26l%3Dhttp%253A//www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/search/results%253Fq%253DSteve%252520Thompson\">Steve Thompson\u003c/a>, general manager for San Francisco-based Uber’s Phoenix operations, said the Arizona bill puts state regulations and rules around his company’s business model including insurance and background checks it has for independent drivers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>--\u003ca href=\"http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/news/2014/03/13/ride-sharing-companies-battling-with-discount-cab.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+vertical_43+%28Networking+Industry+News%29\" target=\"_blank\">Phoenix Business Journal\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Tampa\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>When Lyft began advertising online recently for drivers in Tampa, the county's taxi regulating agency noticed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We welcome your interest in the Tampa Bay area and the potential for expanded use of new innovative technologies in transportation services,\" reads a letter sent Friday to the San Francisco-based ride-sharing service by the interim executive director of the Public Transportation Commission.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Kevin Jackson continued: The PTC has the final word ....\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Uber (said in 2012) that its experience with the PTC had dissuaded it from coming back here again.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>--\u003ca href=\"http://www.tampabay.com/news/transportation/as-ride-sharing-service-eyes-tampa-county-regulators-get-involved/2170407\">Tampa Bay Times\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_126917\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-126917\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/01/RS8866_UberX_3-lpr-640x426.jpg\" alt=\"The California Public Utilities Commission requires Transportation Network Companies like UberX to display signage. (Jeremy Raff/KQED)\" width=\"640\" height=\"426\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">(Photo: Jeremy Raff/KQED) \u003ccite>(Jeremy Raff/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Ride-service companies UberX and Lyft have announced they are expanding their insurance to cover drivers who are between passengers but logged onto their apps awaiting a call.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a \u003ca href=\"http://blog.uber.com/uberXridesharinginsurance\" target=\"_blank\">blog post\u003c/a> this morning Uber said its new policy ...\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>\"... expands the insurance of ridesharing drivers to cover any potential “insurance gap” for accidents that occur while drivers are not providing transportation service for hire but are logged onto the Uber network and available to accept a ride.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Starting today, if a driver’s personal insurance policy is found not to cover an accident during this period, this new policy will provide contingent coverage for a driver’s liability at the highest requirement of any state in the U.S: $50,000/individual/incident for bodily injury, $100,000 total/incident for bodily injury and $25,000/incident for property damage.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>Those coverage amounts are much less than the $1 million in liability insurance the company offers -- and is required to by California -- for drivers who are actually on a call.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lyft also announced a similar expansion of its liability policy to drivers who are between calls. In a statement, the company said:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>While we do expect personal carriers to cover the time period prior to carrying a passenger, in order to erase any uncertainty, Lyft will now provide additional protection. This new protection will provide backstop coverage to drivers when they are in match mode and are not providing rides. We will be rolling this out state-by-state in the days to come.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>The limitations of UberX and Lyft insurance policies became widely known after a fatal accident involving an UberX driver in San Francisco on New Year's Eve. The driver was between passengers -- logged onto the UberX platform but yet to accept a call. UberX said its $1 million insurance policy did not apply because it only covered drivers who were actually carrying passengers or were on their way to pick them up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>UberX also said the insurance company of that driver, Syed Muzaffar, has \"offered up the limits\" of his personal policy in connection with the incident. California requires all drivers to carry liability insurance of $15,000 for the injury or death of one person per accident, $30,000 for the injury or death of two or more persons, and $5,000 for any property damage. The liability costs of the accident Muzaffar was involved in could very well be in the millions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition to the expansion of its liability coverage, Uber said it would offer new comprehensive and collision coverage when UberX drivers were on a call. Collision insurance covers damage to a driver's vehicle when the driver is at fault. This new coverage is contingent on drivers having purchased similar coverage on their personal policies, Uber said. The deductible is $1,000 and the maximum payment is $50,000 per vehicle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Update:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chris Dolan, the lawyer for the family of Sofia Liu, killed by an UberX driver in San Francisco on New Year’s Eve, is not impressed with Uber's announcement, calling it a \"sham PR stunt\" in a press release. The Liu family is suing Uber, claiming, among other things, that the app its drivers use to accept calls contributes to distracted driving.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a press call today, Uber CEO Travis Kalanick said Muzaffar's personal insurance company is paying the claim. But Dolan said Muzaffar's insurance has a $30,000 cap on it, and \"the bills are in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.\" He said the amounts offered by UberX's new insurance, up to $100,000 in bodily injury and $25,000 in property damage, \"degrades the value of every human life.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency requires taxis to carry $1 million in liability insurance. The taxi industry has argued that ride-service vehicles are taxis by any other name, and therefore should have to offer similar insurance.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_126917\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-126917\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/01/RS8866_UberX_3-lpr-640x426.jpg\" alt=\"The California Public Utilities Commission requires Transportation Network Companies like UberX to display signage. (Jeremy Raff/KQED)\" width=\"640\" height=\"426\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">(Photo: Jeremy Raff/KQED) \u003ccite>(Jeremy Raff/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Ride-service companies UberX and Lyft have announced they are expanding their insurance to cover drivers who are between passengers but logged onto their apps awaiting a call.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a \u003ca href=\"http://blog.uber.com/uberXridesharinginsurance\" target=\"_blank\">blog post\u003c/a> this morning Uber said its new policy ...\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>\"... expands the insurance of ridesharing drivers to cover any potential “insurance gap” for accidents that occur while drivers are not providing transportation service for hire but are logged onto the Uber network and available to accept a ride.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Starting today, if a driver’s personal insurance policy is found not to cover an accident during this period, this new policy will provide contingent coverage for a driver’s liability at the highest requirement of any state in the U.S: $50,000/individual/incident for bodily injury, $100,000 total/incident for bodily injury and $25,000/incident for property damage.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>Those coverage amounts are much less than the $1 million in liability insurance the company offers -- and is required to by California -- for drivers who are actually on a call.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lyft also announced a similar expansion of its liability policy to drivers who are between calls. In a statement, the company said:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>While we do expect personal carriers to cover the time period prior to carrying a passenger, in order to erase any uncertainty, Lyft will now provide additional protection. This new protection will provide backstop coverage to drivers when they are in match mode and are not providing rides. We will be rolling this out state-by-state in the days to come.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>The limitations of UberX and Lyft insurance policies became widely known after a fatal accident involving an UberX driver in San Francisco on New Year's Eve. The driver was between passengers -- logged onto the UberX platform but yet to accept a call. UberX said its $1 million insurance policy did not apply because it only covered drivers who were actually carrying passengers or were on their way to pick them up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>UberX also said the insurance company of that driver, Syed Muzaffar, has \"offered up the limits\" of his personal policy in connection with the incident. California requires all drivers to carry liability insurance of $15,000 for the injury or death of one person per accident, $30,000 for the injury or death of two or more persons, and $5,000 for any property damage. The liability costs of the accident Muzaffar was involved in could very well be in the millions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition to the expansion of its liability coverage, Uber said it would offer new comprehensive and collision coverage when UberX drivers were on a call. Collision insurance covers damage to a driver's vehicle when the driver is at fault. This new coverage is contingent on drivers having purchased similar coverage on their personal policies, Uber said. The deductible is $1,000 and the maximum payment is $50,000 per vehicle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Update:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chris Dolan, the lawyer for the family of Sofia Liu, killed by an UberX driver in San Francisco on New Year’s Eve, is not impressed with Uber's announcement, calling it a \"sham PR stunt\" in a press release. The Liu family is suing Uber, claiming, among other things, that the app its drivers use to accept calls contributes to distracted driving.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a press call today, Uber CEO Travis Kalanick said Muzaffar's personal insurance company is paying the claim. But Dolan said Muzaffar's insurance has a $30,000 cap on it, and \"the bills are in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.\" He said the amounts offered by UberX's new insurance, up to $100,000 in bodily injury and $25,000 in property damage, \"degrades the value of every human life.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency requires taxis to carry $1 million in liability insurance. The taxi industry has argued that ride-service vehicles are taxis by any other name, and therefore should have to offer similar insurance.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"disqusTitle": "City by City, Lyft and Uber Take on Taxis, Regulators",
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"headTitle": "News Fix | KQED News",
"content": "\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_115064\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 272px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-115064 \" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2013/10/DeSoto-Cab-Company-driver-and-Pacifica-resident-Corey-Lamb-protests-against-ap-based-ride-selling-companies-like-Lyft-on-Tuesday-July-30-outside-San-Francisco-City-Hall.-Alex-EnslieKQEDRS5997_IMG_7873-sfi.jpg\" alt=\"A San Francisco cab driver protests ride-service companies like Lyft, July 30, 2013, outside San Francisco City Hall. (Alex Emslie/KQED)\" width=\"272\" height=\"360\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A San Francisco cab driver protests against ride-service companies like Lyft, July 30, 2013, outside San Francisco City Hall. (Alex Emslie/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>We've been covering the San Francisco-based ride-service companies Lyft and Uber for some time now, focusing on \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2014/01/20/ride-sharing-insurance-lyft-uberx-sidecar/\" target=\"_blank\">questions\u003c/a> related to \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2013/11/14/who-pays-when-ride-share-driver-crashes\" target=\"_blank\">insurance\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2014/01/30/lyft-uberx-driver-safety\" target=\"_blank\">safety\u003c/a>. Taxi companies and drivers in the city have been irate since these firms started taking a noticeable chunk of their business. A 2013 decision by the California Public Utilities Commission to let the companies operate in the state under less rigid rules than the locally regulated taxi business did not appease cab interests one bit. Lyft, in fact, has been pointing to California as a model for what regulation of ride-service firms should look like.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Uber was reported to be \u003ca href=\"http://allthingsd.com/20130822/uber-filing-in-delaware-shows-tpg-investment-at-3-5-billion-valuation-google-ventures-also-in/\" target=\"_blank\">valued at $3.5 billion\u003c/a> at one point last year. And Lyft, for what it's worth, told \u003ca href=\"http://techcrunch.com/2013/12/18/uber-lyft/\" target=\"_blank\">TechCrunch\u003c/a> last December that it's \"seeing its revenues grow at a rate of about 6 percent every single week ....\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These San Francisco companies have been exporting this new app-based, sharing-economy model of vehicular transportation all over the U.S., with a similar pattern emerging whenever they come to town: Local taxi interests hoot and holler, and local agencies and elected officials grapple with how --or if -- to put the brakes on the unregulated drivers and vehicles who now traverse their cities carrying paying customers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A handful of cities, like \u003ca href=\"http://www.bestofneworleans.com/gambit/why-new-orleans-doesnt-have-uber/Content?oid=2307943\" target=\"_blank\">New Orleans\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"http://www.geekwire.com/2014/portland-ridesharing/\" target=\"_blank\">Portland\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"http://miamiherald.typepad.com/nakedpolitics/2014/02/ashton-kutcher-slams-miami-for-keeping-out-uber.html\" target=\"_blank\">Miami\u003c/a>, have banned the upstarts entirely. But around the country, industry leaders Uber and Lyft are expanding as quickly as they can, with regulators trying to play catch-up. Here's a rundown from local media of the latest regulatory developments in various cities:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Boston\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"http://boston.cbslocal.com/2014/02/25/boston-police-commissioner-questions-safety-of-uber-app/\" target=\"_blank\">WBZ\u003c/a> (Feb 25)\u003c/em> Boston Police Commissioner William Evans says he wants more public regulation of what he calls “gypsy cabs.” The commissioner on WBZ NewsRadio 1030 last night singled out a popular mobile \u003ca href=\"https://www.uber.com/\" target=\"_blank\">app Uber,\u003c/a> which connects drivers with passengers....Evans questioned the level of safety and security provided by these new app services because they are not subject to the same level of scrutiny as traditional cabs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2014/03/01/car-service-uber-not-yet-boston-regulators-sights/vQjDKrnbpT6NPg0CAQCs3O/story.html\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cem>Boston Globe\u003c/em>\u003c/a> \u003cem>(March 1) \u003c/em>As Mayor Martin J. Walsh and his new team at City Hall prepare to overhaul Boston’s transportation policies, one car service popular among Boston’s tech set isn’t likely to face any changes: Uber .... Many critics have said that the only way to ensure Uber is truly safe, and its drivers are properly trained, is to subject it to the same regulations that cabs have endured for years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Not Walsh.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp id=\"skip-target\">“People should feel safe when they are traveling in Boston,” the mayor said Friday. “We cannot turn a blind eye to public safety concerns around unregulated modes of transportation, but we also cannot condemn a popular, effective service like Uber that takes responsible steps to ensure the safety of their users. There is a balance.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Walsh said he is taking a comprehensive look at the city’s transportation services — from taxis to buses to smartphone car services — and is working with the new police commissioner, William Evans, to come up with new policies.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Chicago\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.wbez.org/news/shadowy-lobbyists-influence-rideshare-debate-109770\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cem>WBEZ\u003c/em>\u003c/a> \u003cem>(Feb 25)\u003c/em> The fight over the future of ridesharing in Chicago is increasingly being waged through shadowy lobbyists. This has some aldermen concerned about how that could influence the current regulatory debate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At a hearing at City Council’s Joint Committee on Transportation and Finance on Monday, some noted that the lobbying activity on the issue appeared different from the usual at City Hall. They said they were disturbed by the apparent emergence of advocates for ride-sharing companies like Uber, Lyft and Sidecar, who have not identified their interests upfront.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"http://www.wbez.org/news/city-moves-regulate-rideshare-companies-109639\" target=\"_blank\">WBEZ\u003c/a> (Feb 5)\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Mayor’s office introduced new rules at Wednesday’s City Council meeting, aimed at bringing the (ride-service) companies into the regulatory fold. But the move is already angering some who say the city should use its existing regulations for taxicabs and livery vehicles, rather than create a new set of rules....\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The (proposed ride-service ordinance) would require the companies to register with the city and pay an annual $25,000 licensing fee, as well as $25 per driver with their service. It would also subject the companies to the city’s ground transportation tax — $3.50 per day, per vehicle, for each day that the vehicle is used in Chicago for ground transportation. Additionally, the vehicles would have to display signage or an emblem that identifies their ridesharing service, and would have to be inspected annually by the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But perhaps the most significant cost that the rules would require are general commercial liability insurance and commercial automobile liability insurance policies of $1 million per occurrence.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dallas\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"http://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/news/2014/02/19/uber-debate-dallas-task-force-nixes-idea-to-limit.html?page=all\" target=\"_blank\">Dallas Business Journa\u003c/a>l (Feb 19)\u003c/em> Dallas’ transportation-for-hire task force rejected a proposed limitation on drivers' hours that was being considered for the ordinance regulating taxis, limos and other car services.... Task force Chair \u003ca href=\"http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/pagead/adview?ai=BnG8x6_UUU4P-M4uQlATzm4DQBPGqmoMFAAAAEAEgADgAWPniq4KeAWDJ9viGyKOgGYIBF2NhLXB1Yi05NzM2MDkyNjA0Njc3NTE2sgETd3d3LmJpempvdXJuYWxzLmNvbboBCWdmcF9pbWFnZcgBCdoBcWh0dHA6Ly93d3cuYml6am91cm5hbHMuY29tL2RhbGxhcy9uZXdzLzIwMTQvMDIvMTkvdWJlci1kZWJhdGUtZGFsbGFzLXRhc2stZm9yY2Utbml4ZXMtaWRlYS10by1saW1pdC5odG1sP3BhZ2U9YWxswAIC4AIA6gIcNDYzNS9iemouZGFsbGFzL2FydGljbGVfcGFnZfgCg9IekAPwAZgDpAOoAwHQBJBO4AQBkgULCAcQARgBIOGv0higBiA&sigh=_wj_jMEE2pg&adurl=http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/imgad/1482981/verisign_2014_interstitial_2.html%3Ft%3D10%26cT%3Dhttp%253A//bizjournals.com%26l%3Dhttp%253A//www.bizjournals.com/dallas/search/results%253Fq%253DSandy%252520Greyson\">Sandy Greyson\u003c/a> said the group was considering a limitation comparable to other nearby cities, but unanimously agreed that the idea was not for Dallas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"http://cityhallblog.dallasnews.com/2014/02/lyfts-co-founder-weighs-in-on-dallas-attempt-to-rewrite-transportation-for-hire-rules-and-allegations-of-redlining.html/\" target=\"_blank\">Dallas Morning News\u003c/a> (Feb 25)\u003c/em> “We’re gonna fight to stay there,” (Lyft CEO John Zimmer) says. “There are thousands of drivers and passengers in Dallas and across the country that believe in this mission and movement, and we’ll be there alongside them to make sure we work together in a responsible and thoughtful way with local officials and defend their right to do this....”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, Lyft isn’t waiting for anything: In recent days it has expanded its local coverage area, stretching from Farmers Branch to Duncanville to Pleasant Grove to Garland, \u003ca href=\"https://www.lyft.me/help?article=1302208\" target=\"_blank\">or thereabouts\u003c/a>. Zimmer says that was a “organic expansion” based on data provided by Lyft’s app. There are a handful of hot spots, he notes, around Lower Greenville and Uptown and downtown, but Lyft’s seeing a lot of use all over, so it made sense to recruit more drivers and widen the area in which rides are being shared.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Denver\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://blogs.denverpost.com/techknowbytes/2014/02/11/ride-sharing-bill-drives-amid-concerns-raise-auto-insurance-rates-statewide/13087/\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cem>Denver Post\u003c/em>\u003c/a> \u003cem>(Feb 11) \u003c/em>The Senate Business, Labor and Technology committee on Tuesday approved a bill that would \u003ca href=\"http://blogs.denverpost.com/techknowbytes/2014/01/28/colorado-puc-director-raises-concerns-uber-lyfts-ride-sharing-bill/12967/\">lightly regulate ride-sharing companies\u003c/a> such as Lyft and \u003ca title=\"Posts tagged with uberX\" href=\"http://blogs.denverpost.com/techknowbytes/tag/uberx/\" rel=\"tag\">UberX\u003c/a> .... \u003ca title=\"Posts tagged with senate bill 125\" href=\"http://blogs.denverpost.com/techknowbytes/tag/senate-bill-125/\" rel=\"tag\">Senate Bill 125\u003c/a> would classify Lyft and UberX as transportation network companies, or TNCs, and place them under limited PUC oversight. Lyft and UberX have developed smartphone apps that connect passengers with drivers, who use their personal cars for the ride .... Colorado regulators and lawmakers say that if a ride-sharing measure isn’t passed, the companies would be forced to shut down.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Detroit\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"http://www.freep.com/article/20140216/BUSINESS06/302160040/Uber-car-service\" target=\"_blank\">Detroit Free Press\u003c/a> (Feb 16) \u003c/em>In Detroit, state and local police have the go-ahead to ticket Uber drivers who, intentionally or not, failed to get licensed as a driver for hire, officials told the Free Press. Penalties for unlicensed operations run from a fine up to $500 to jail time. The city said officers have not issued any tickets yet ....\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>(R)epresentatives for the Michigan Department of Transportation and the City of Detroit told the Free Press that they still consider UberX as drivers for hire under the law because they charge customers for rides. Those drivers must therefore obtain a $300 Certificate of Authority from the state and a $110 limo operator’s license from the Detroit Police Department, which would inspect their vehicle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Uber Technologies is also required to register with MDOT as a limo carrier, which it has not done, according to Sharon Edgar, MDOT administrator in the office of passenger transportation. Edgar said she sent a noncompliance notice in December to Uber’s Detroit office but hasn’t heard back. White, when asked in an e-mail, did not address the state notice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"http://www.wxyz.com/news/smartphone-car-service-uber-and-uberx-hits-rough-road-detroit-puts-on-brakes\" target=\"_blank\">WXYZ\u003c/a> (Feb 18) \u003c/em>Detroit City Attorney Melvin Butch Hollowell (says) UberX is not following city licensing requirements and Hollowell is issuing a cease and desist order.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Houston\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/news/2014/02/25/city-of-houston-committee-takes-a-hard-look-at.html\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cem>Houston Business Journal\u003c/em>\u003c/a> \u003cem>(Feb 25)\u003c/em> Unless Mayor Annise Parker decides to voluntarily put new vehicle-for-hire ordinances on the city council agenda, Tina Paez, the director of the Administration & Regulatory Affairs department, said it is most likely that discussions regarding new ordinances will continue at the committee meeting next month.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This probably isn’t welcome news for Uber Technologies Inc. and Lyft, which launched some of their services for free, as a promotion, last week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Unless the companies, which are offering free rides to customers who request ride services from their apps, plan to continue offering free rides for the next month, this could cause some trouble. If the companies ask for payment or donations for their rides, the city said it will charge drivers with violating city ordinances and it will charge them penalties of up to $500.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Already, the city confirmed that there has been one instance where a Lyft driver charged a rider for a ride, and the city charged the driver with three different violations.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"http://blogs.houstonpress.com/hairballs/2014/03/city_of_houston_to_uber_stop_s.php\" target=\"_blank\">Houston Press\u003c/a> (March 3) \u003c/em>Some 10,000 Houstonians signed an online petition in support of (Uber), the most vocal of whom are young, urbanites who are strong supporters of the technological aspects of the service.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What was the city's response?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Apparently, the city is tired of having its inbox filled up with Uber petition signatures because it \u003ca href=\"http://blog.uber.com/HoustonStandUp\">issued a cease and desist to the folks at Uber\u003c/a> asking Uber to stop the flow of petition e-mails to city mailboxes\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Minneapolis\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_25250479/lyfts-free-ride-deal-gives-it-two-week\" target=\"_blank\">St. Paul Pioneer Press\u003c/a> (Feb 28)\u003c/em> Taxi-like car-sharing service Lyft has launched a multi-city free-ride deal that just happens to get it out of hot water with the City of Minneapolis -- at least for the next two weeks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lyft, consisting of driver-owned vehicles that customers summon with smartphone apps, said it will pick up the tab for rides costing up to $25 apiece.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The promotion temporarily defuses a disagreement with Minneapolis officials, who have insisted that Lyft be licensed like a taxi service, something this and similar services adamantly oppose....\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Minneapolis had threatened to ticket and tow Lyft vehicles once they began operating Thursday as scheduled, but now said it will hold off if money isn't changing hands.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pittsburgh\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.post-gazette.com/business/2014/02/18/Peduto-asks-for-rule-change-on-ride-sharing-operations/stories/201402180175\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cem>Pittsburgh Post-Gazette\u003c/em>\u003c/a> (Feb 19) Mayor Bill Peduto wants the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission to change its rules to allow for ride-sharing operations in Pittsburgh. \"As mayor, I support the expansion of transportation options in our city and recognize the need for a broader and more diverse suite of options to get people around town quickly, safely, and reliably,\" Mr. Peduto wrote in a letter to PUC executive director Jan Freeman on Tuesday. \"This includes these new companies but it also includes legacy jitney drivers who serve communities that have been red-lined out of traditional taxicab and limousine service....\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mr. Peduto and Councilman Dan Gilman said Tuesday that they propose amending Chapter 29 of the PUC code to create a new class of regulated transportation service providers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That would be akin to what the California Public Utilities Commission did in September, when it created a new class of business known as a Transportation Network Company.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Seattle\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2023019652_rideshareenforcementxml.html\" target=\"_blank\">Seattle Times\u003c/a> (Feb 28)\u003c/em> A majority of Seattle City Council members approved a cap on the number of drivers for Lyft, uberX and Sidecar at a standing-room-only taxi-committee meeting Thursday night .... If the proposal passes a full council vote next month, it would allow an unlimited number of drivers, but no more than 150 of them, using their personal cars, could work at any given time for each company. The measure would take effect a month after Mayor Ed Murray signs it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Each prospective driver would have to apply for a Transportation Network Company (TNC) permit. In order to get it, drivers would have to take driver-safety training, but it would be less intensive than the for-hire training that taxi and flat-rate car drivers are required to take.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under the earlier proposal, which did not pass, the taxi committee had recommended a cap of 300 TNC-permitted drivers who could contract with Lyft, uberX and Sidecar. All 300 of those drivers could choose which company they want to work for.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>And don't stop there: \u003ca href=\"http://news.cnet.com/8301-11386_3-57618627-76/paris-taxi-drivers-strike-but-uber-opens-second-front-in-the-war/\" target=\"_blank\">Around\u003c/a> the \u003ca href=\"http://www.ibtimes.com/uber-opens-china-shanghai-restricts-use-popular-taxi-booking-apps-1558379\" target=\"_blank\">globe\u003c/a>, app-based transpo is coming to a \u003ca href=\"http://www.lifehacker.com.au/2012/10/uber-launches-in-australia-to-carry-you-through-sydney-in-style/\" target=\"_blank\">nation\u003c/a> near you!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_115064\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 272px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-115064 \" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2013/10/DeSoto-Cab-Company-driver-and-Pacifica-resident-Corey-Lamb-protests-against-ap-based-ride-selling-companies-like-Lyft-on-Tuesday-July-30-outside-San-Francisco-City-Hall.-Alex-EnslieKQEDRS5997_IMG_7873-sfi.jpg\" alt=\"A San Francisco cab driver protests ride-service companies like Lyft, July 30, 2013, outside San Francisco City Hall. (Alex Emslie/KQED)\" width=\"272\" height=\"360\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A San Francisco cab driver protests against ride-service companies like Lyft, July 30, 2013, outside San Francisco City Hall. (Alex Emslie/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>We've been covering the San Francisco-based ride-service companies Lyft and Uber for some time now, focusing on \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2014/01/20/ride-sharing-insurance-lyft-uberx-sidecar/\" target=\"_blank\">questions\u003c/a> related to \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2013/11/14/who-pays-when-ride-share-driver-crashes\" target=\"_blank\">insurance\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2014/01/30/lyft-uberx-driver-safety\" target=\"_blank\">safety\u003c/a>. Taxi companies and drivers in the city have been irate since these firms started taking a noticeable chunk of their business. A 2013 decision by the California Public Utilities Commission to let the companies operate in the state under less rigid rules than the locally regulated taxi business did not appease cab interests one bit. Lyft, in fact, has been pointing to California as a model for what regulation of ride-service firms should look like.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Uber was reported to be \u003ca href=\"http://allthingsd.com/20130822/uber-filing-in-delaware-shows-tpg-investment-at-3-5-billion-valuation-google-ventures-also-in/\" target=\"_blank\">valued at $3.5 billion\u003c/a> at one point last year. And Lyft, for what it's worth, told \u003ca href=\"http://techcrunch.com/2013/12/18/uber-lyft/\" target=\"_blank\">TechCrunch\u003c/a> last December that it's \"seeing its revenues grow at a rate of about 6 percent every single week ....\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These San Francisco companies have been exporting this new app-based, sharing-economy model of vehicular transportation all over the U.S., with a similar pattern emerging whenever they come to town: Local taxi interests hoot and holler, and local agencies and elected officials grapple with how --or if -- to put the brakes on the unregulated drivers and vehicles who now traverse their cities carrying paying customers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A handful of cities, like \u003ca href=\"http://www.bestofneworleans.com/gambit/why-new-orleans-doesnt-have-uber/Content?oid=2307943\" target=\"_blank\">New Orleans\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"http://www.geekwire.com/2014/portland-ridesharing/\" target=\"_blank\">Portland\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"http://miamiherald.typepad.com/nakedpolitics/2014/02/ashton-kutcher-slams-miami-for-keeping-out-uber.html\" target=\"_blank\">Miami\u003c/a>, have banned the upstarts entirely. But around the country, industry leaders Uber and Lyft are expanding as quickly as they can, with regulators trying to play catch-up. Here's a rundown from local media of the latest regulatory developments in various cities:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Boston\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"http://boston.cbslocal.com/2014/02/25/boston-police-commissioner-questions-safety-of-uber-app/\" target=\"_blank\">WBZ\u003c/a> (Feb 25)\u003c/em> Boston Police Commissioner William Evans says he wants more public regulation of what he calls “gypsy cabs.” The commissioner on WBZ NewsRadio 1030 last night singled out a popular mobile \u003ca href=\"https://www.uber.com/\" target=\"_blank\">app Uber,\u003c/a> which connects drivers with passengers....Evans questioned the level of safety and security provided by these new app services because they are not subject to the same level of scrutiny as traditional cabs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2014/03/01/car-service-uber-not-yet-boston-regulators-sights/vQjDKrnbpT6NPg0CAQCs3O/story.html\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cem>Boston Globe\u003c/em>\u003c/a> \u003cem>(March 1) \u003c/em>As Mayor Martin J. Walsh and his new team at City Hall prepare to overhaul Boston’s transportation policies, one car service popular among Boston’s tech set isn’t likely to face any changes: Uber .... Many critics have said that the only way to ensure Uber is truly safe, and its drivers are properly trained, is to subject it to the same regulations that cabs have endured for years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Not Walsh.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp id=\"skip-target\">“People should feel safe when they are traveling in Boston,” the mayor said Friday. “We cannot turn a blind eye to public safety concerns around unregulated modes of transportation, but we also cannot condemn a popular, effective service like Uber that takes responsible steps to ensure the safety of their users. There is a balance.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Walsh said he is taking a comprehensive look at the city’s transportation services — from taxis to buses to smartphone car services — and is working with the new police commissioner, William Evans, to come up with new policies.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Chicago\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.wbez.org/news/shadowy-lobbyists-influence-rideshare-debate-109770\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cem>WBEZ\u003c/em>\u003c/a> \u003cem>(Feb 25)\u003c/em> The fight over the future of ridesharing in Chicago is increasingly being waged through shadowy lobbyists. This has some aldermen concerned about how that could influence the current regulatory debate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At a hearing at City Council’s Joint Committee on Transportation and Finance on Monday, some noted that the lobbying activity on the issue appeared different from the usual at City Hall. They said they were disturbed by the apparent emergence of advocates for ride-sharing companies like Uber, Lyft and Sidecar, who have not identified their interests upfront.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"http://www.wbez.org/news/city-moves-regulate-rideshare-companies-109639\" target=\"_blank\">WBEZ\u003c/a> (Feb 5)\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Mayor’s office introduced new rules at Wednesday’s City Council meeting, aimed at bringing the (ride-service) companies into the regulatory fold. But the move is already angering some who say the city should use its existing regulations for taxicabs and livery vehicles, rather than create a new set of rules....\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The (proposed ride-service ordinance) would require the companies to register with the city and pay an annual $25,000 licensing fee, as well as $25 per driver with their service. It would also subject the companies to the city’s ground transportation tax — $3.50 per day, per vehicle, for each day that the vehicle is used in Chicago for ground transportation. Additionally, the vehicles would have to display signage or an emblem that identifies their ridesharing service, and would have to be inspected annually by the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But perhaps the most significant cost that the rules would require are general commercial liability insurance and commercial automobile liability insurance policies of $1 million per occurrence.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dallas\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"http://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/news/2014/02/19/uber-debate-dallas-task-force-nixes-idea-to-limit.html?page=all\" target=\"_blank\">Dallas Business Journa\u003c/a>l (Feb 19)\u003c/em> Dallas’ transportation-for-hire task force rejected a proposed limitation on drivers' hours that was being considered for the ordinance regulating taxis, limos and other car services.... Task force Chair \u003ca href=\"http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/pagead/adview?ai=BnG8x6_UUU4P-M4uQlATzm4DQBPGqmoMFAAAAEAEgADgAWPniq4KeAWDJ9viGyKOgGYIBF2NhLXB1Yi05NzM2MDkyNjA0Njc3NTE2sgETd3d3LmJpempvdXJuYWxzLmNvbboBCWdmcF9pbWFnZcgBCdoBcWh0dHA6Ly93d3cuYml6am91cm5hbHMuY29tL2RhbGxhcy9uZXdzLzIwMTQvMDIvMTkvdWJlci1kZWJhdGUtZGFsbGFzLXRhc2stZm9yY2Utbml4ZXMtaWRlYS10by1saW1pdC5odG1sP3BhZ2U9YWxswAIC4AIA6gIcNDYzNS9iemouZGFsbGFzL2FydGljbGVfcGFnZfgCg9IekAPwAZgDpAOoAwHQBJBO4AQBkgULCAcQARgBIOGv0higBiA&sigh=_wj_jMEE2pg&adurl=http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/imgad/1482981/verisign_2014_interstitial_2.html%3Ft%3D10%26cT%3Dhttp%253A//bizjournals.com%26l%3Dhttp%253A//www.bizjournals.com/dallas/search/results%253Fq%253DSandy%252520Greyson\">Sandy Greyson\u003c/a> said the group was considering a limitation comparable to other nearby cities, but unanimously agreed that the idea was not for Dallas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"http://cityhallblog.dallasnews.com/2014/02/lyfts-co-founder-weighs-in-on-dallas-attempt-to-rewrite-transportation-for-hire-rules-and-allegations-of-redlining.html/\" target=\"_blank\">Dallas Morning News\u003c/a> (Feb 25)\u003c/em> “We’re gonna fight to stay there,” (Lyft CEO John Zimmer) says. “There are thousands of drivers and passengers in Dallas and across the country that believe in this mission and movement, and we’ll be there alongside them to make sure we work together in a responsible and thoughtful way with local officials and defend their right to do this....”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, Lyft isn’t waiting for anything: In recent days it has expanded its local coverage area, stretching from Farmers Branch to Duncanville to Pleasant Grove to Garland, \u003ca href=\"https://www.lyft.me/help?article=1302208\" target=\"_blank\">or thereabouts\u003c/a>. Zimmer says that was a “organic expansion” based on data provided by Lyft’s app. There are a handful of hot spots, he notes, around Lower Greenville and Uptown and downtown, but Lyft’s seeing a lot of use all over, so it made sense to recruit more drivers and widen the area in which rides are being shared.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Denver\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://blogs.denverpost.com/techknowbytes/2014/02/11/ride-sharing-bill-drives-amid-concerns-raise-auto-insurance-rates-statewide/13087/\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cem>Denver Post\u003c/em>\u003c/a> \u003cem>(Feb 11) \u003c/em>The Senate Business, Labor and Technology committee on Tuesday approved a bill that would \u003ca href=\"http://blogs.denverpost.com/techknowbytes/2014/01/28/colorado-puc-director-raises-concerns-uber-lyfts-ride-sharing-bill/12967/\">lightly regulate ride-sharing companies\u003c/a> such as Lyft and \u003ca title=\"Posts tagged with uberX\" href=\"http://blogs.denverpost.com/techknowbytes/tag/uberx/\" rel=\"tag\">UberX\u003c/a> .... \u003ca title=\"Posts tagged with senate bill 125\" href=\"http://blogs.denverpost.com/techknowbytes/tag/senate-bill-125/\" rel=\"tag\">Senate Bill 125\u003c/a> would classify Lyft and UberX as transportation network companies, or TNCs, and place them under limited PUC oversight. Lyft and UberX have developed smartphone apps that connect passengers with drivers, who use their personal cars for the ride .... Colorado regulators and lawmakers say that if a ride-sharing measure isn’t passed, the companies would be forced to shut down.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Detroit\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"http://www.freep.com/article/20140216/BUSINESS06/302160040/Uber-car-service\" target=\"_blank\">Detroit Free Press\u003c/a> (Feb 16) \u003c/em>In Detroit, state and local police have the go-ahead to ticket Uber drivers who, intentionally or not, failed to get licensed as a driver for hire, officials told the Free Press. Penalties for unlicensed operations run from a fine up to $500 to jail time. The city said officers have not issued any tickets yet ....\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>(R)epresentatives for the Michigan Department of Transportation and the City of Detroit told the Free Press that they still consider UberX as drivers for hire under the law because they charge customers for rides. Those drivers must therefore obtain a $300 Certificate of Authority from the state and a $110 limo operator’s license from the Detroit Police Department, which would inspect their vehicle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Uber Technologies is also required to register with MDOT as a limo carrier, which it has not done, according to Sharon Edgar, MDOT administrator in the office of passenger transportation. Edgar said she sent a noncompliance notice in December to Uber’s Detroit office but hasn’t heard back. White, when asked in an e-mail, did not address the state notice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"http://www.wxyz.com/news/smartphone-car-service-uber-and-uberx-hits-rough-road-detroit-puts-on-brakes\" target=\"_blank\">WXYZ\u003c/a> (Feb 18) \u003c/em>Detroit City Attorney Melvin Butch Hollowell (says) UberX is not following city licensing requirements and Hollowell is issuing a cease and desist order.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Houston\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/news/2014/02/25/city-of-houston-committee-takes-a-hard-look-at.html\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cem>Houston Business Journal\u003c/em>\u003c/a> \u003cem>(Feb 25)\u003c/em> Unless Mayor Annise Parker decides to voluntarily put new vehicle-for-hire ordinances on the city council agenda, Tina Paez, the director of the Administration & Regulatory Affairs department, said it is most likely that discussions regarding new ordinances will continue at the committee meeting next month.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This probably isn’t welcome news for Uber Technologies Inc. and Lyft, which launched some of their services for free, as a promotion, last week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Unless the companies, which are offering free rides to customers who request ride services from their apps, plan to continue offering free rides for the next month, this could cause some trouble. If the companies ask for payment or donations for their rides, the city said it will charge drivers with violating city ordinances and it will charge them penalties of up to $500.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Already, the city confirmed that there has been one instance where a Lyft driver charged a rider for a ride, and the city charged the driver with three different violations.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"http://blogs.houstonpress.com/hairballs/2014/03/city_of_houston_to_uber_stop_s.php\" target=\"_blank\">Houston Press\u003c/a> (March 3) \u003c/em>Some 10,000 Houstonians signed an online petition in support of (Uber), the most vocal of whom are young, urbanites who are strong supporters of the technological aspects of the service.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What was the city's response?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Apparently, the city is tired of having its inbox filled up with Uber petition signatures because it \u003ca href=\"http://blog.uber.com/HoustonStandUp\">issued a cease and desist to the folks at Uber\u003c/a> asking Uber to stop the flow of petition e-mails to city mailboxes\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Minneapolis\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_25250479/lyfts-free-ride-deal-gives-it-two-week\" target=\"_blank\">St. Paul Pioneer Press\u003c/a> (Feb 28)\u003c/em> Taxi-like car-sharing service Lyft has launched a multi-city free-ride deal that just happens to get it out of hot water with the City of Minneapolis -- at least for the next two weeks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lyft, consisting of driver-owned vehicles that customers summon with smartphone apps, said it will pick up the tab for rides costing up to $25 apiece.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The promotion temporarily defuses a disagreement with Minneapolis officials, who have insisted that Lyft be licensed like a taxi service, something this and similar services adamantly oppose....\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Minneapolis had threatened to ticket and tow Lyft vehicles once they began operating Thursday as scheduled, but now said it will hold off if money isn't changing hands.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pittsburgh\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.post-gazette.com/business/2014/02/18/Peduto-asks-for-rule-change-on-ride-sharing-operations/stories/201402180175\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cem>Pittsburgh Post-Gazette\u003c/em>\u003c/a> (Feb 19) Mayor Bill Peduto wants the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission to change its rules to allow for ride-sharing operations in Pittsburgh. \"As mayor, I support the expansion of transportation options in our city and recognize the need for a broader and more diverse suite of options to get people around town quickly, safely, and reliably,\" Mr. Peduto wrote in a letter to PUC executive director Jan Freeman on Tuesday. \"This includes these new companies but it also includes legacy jitney drivers who serve communities that have been red-lined out of traditional taxicab and limousine service....\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mr. Peduto and Councilman Dan Gilman said Tuesday that they propose amending Chapter 29 of the PUC code to create a new class of regulated transportation service providers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That would be akin to what the California Public Utilities Commission did in September, when it created a new class of business known as a Transportation Network Company.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Seattle\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2023019652_rideshareenforcementxml.html\" target=\"_blank\">Seattle Times\u003c/a> (Feb 28)\u003c/em> A majority of Seattle City Council members approved a cap on the number of drivers for Lyft, uberX and Sidecar at a standing-room-only taxi-committee meeting Thursday night .... If the proposal passes a full council vote next month, it would allow an unlimited number of drivers, but no more than 150 of them, using their personal cars, could work at any given time for each company. The measure would take effect a month after Mayor Ed Murray signs it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Each prospective driver would have to apply for a Transportation Network Company (TNC) permit. In order to get it, drivers would have to take driver-safety training, but it would be less intensive than the for-hire training that taxi and flat-rate car drivers are required to take.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under the earlier proposal, which did not pass, the taxi committee had recommended a cap of 300 TNC-permitted drivers who could contract with Lyft, uberX and Sidecar. All 300 of those drivers could choose which company they want to work for.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>And don't stop there: \u003ca href=\"http://news.cnet.com/8301-11386_3-57618627-76/paris-taxi-drivers-strike-but-uber-opens-second-front-in-the-war/\" target=\"_blank\">Around\u003c/a> the \u003ca href=\"http://www.ibtimes.com/uber-opens-china-shanghai-restricts-use-popular-taxi-booking-apps-1558379\" target=\"_blank\">globe\u003c/a>, app-based transpo is coming to a \u003ca href=\"http://www.lifehacker.com.au/2012/10/uber-launches-in-australia-to-carry-you-through-sydney-in-style/\" target=\"_blank\">nation\u003c/a> near you!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"disqusTitle": "What UberX Drivers Are Saying About Their Training and Safety Issues",
"title": "What UberX Drivers Are Saying About Their Training and Safety Issues",
"headTitle": "News Fix | KQED News",
"content": "\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_126917\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/01/RS8866_UberX_3-lpr.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-126917\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/01/RS8866_UberX_3-lpr-640x426.jpg\" alt=\"The California Public Utilities Commission requires Transportation Network Companies like UberX to display signage. (Jeremy Raff/KQED)\" width=\"640\" height=\"426\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The California Public Utilities Commission requires transportation network companies like UberX to display signage. (Jeremy Raff/KQED) \u003ccite>(Jeremy Raff/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 4.6875em;float: left;line-height: 0.733em;padding: 0.05em 0.1em 0 0;font-family: times, serif, georgia\">O\u003c/span>n March 6, the \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfbos.org/index.aspx?page=13992\" target=\"_blank\">Neighborhood Services and Safety Committee\u003c/a> of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors will hold a hearing on safety issues related to ride-service companies like Lyft and UberX.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The hearing was prompted by two accidents in San Francisco: On New Year's Eve an UberX driver struck three members of a family in a crosswalk, \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2014/01/02/122446/\" target=\"_blank\">killing a 6-year-old girl\u003c/a>. And in January a \u003ca href=\"http://venturebeat.com/2014/01/17/lyft-car-reportedly-in-accident-in-san-francisco-injuring-pedestrian/\" target=\"_blank\">Lyft driver struck an elderly woman\u003c/a>, fracturing her leg.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nobody knows just how many TNC (transportation network company) vehicles are whizzing around town carrying passengers, but the San Francisco Cab Drivers Association, an avowed archenemy of the nascent industry, says it has counted more than 3,000 to date.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We interviewed a number of TNC drivers to hear firsthand what they thought about safety issues, and eventually focused on those who drive for UberX, since they were the ones who most frequently described a lack of attention to driver safety and training within the sign-up process.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here are the main points, corroborated by the six UberX drivers we interviewed:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>UberX has not been inspecting drivers' cars, as required by the California Public Utiltiies Commission (CPUC), but simply reviews vehicle photos supplied by the drivers.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>UberX does not observe applicants actually driving before they are approved to work for the company.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>UberX applicants receive no training related to safe driving before they are approved.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Other issues emerged as well. Several drivers said that the UberX app, which is provided on a separate cellphone from the driver's personal phone, can be distracting. And two drivers said the ratings that each passenger gives to each driver can lead to unsafe driving, either because of a pressure to chat with riders or to drive faster than is advisable.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignleft\"> UberX's driver training submission stands out for its brevity — just four paragraphs. \u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>Almost all the interviewees said UberX’s process of signing up many drivers at the same time included no scrutiny or assessment of individuals beyond the background checks mandated by the state. One driver described the process as \"like a cattle call.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>I\u003c/strong>n a series of emails back and forth with KQED, UberX spokesman Andrew Noyes did not provide direct responses to these specific findings, but did volunteer that “Uber has submitted a proposal to the CPUC that addresses some of the issues you’ve outlined and we’re awaiting their approval.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Accidents get supervisors' attention\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On New Year's Eve, while driving for UberX, Syed Muzaffar, 57, of Union City, struck three pedestrians in the Tenderloin, killing 6-year-old Sofia Liu. The girl’s family has since \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2014/01/27/lawyer-filing-suit-against-ride-service-company-uber-in-death-of-6-year-o/\" target=\"_blank\">filed a lawsuit\u003c/a> against Muzaffar and Uber, claiming the driver app runs afoul of California’s distracted-driving laws. Muzaffar had been \u003ca href=\"http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/blog/2014/01/uber-uberx-sofia-liu.html?page=all\" target=\"_blank\">convicted of reckless driving\u003c/a> in Florida in 2004, a \u003ca href=\"http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2014-02-14/news/chi-uber-apologizes-for-missing-conviction-in-check-of-driver-20140214_1_chicago-tribune-driver-background\" target=\"_blank\">revelation\u003c/a> that was the first of several concerning \u003ca href=\"http://pando.com/2014/01/06/exclusive-uber-driver-accused-of-assault-passed-zero-tolerance-background-check-despite-criminal-history/\" target=\"_blank\">inadequate background checks\u003c/a> by UberX. (The company has since \u003ca href=\"http://blog.sfgate.com/techchron/2014/02/12/uber-to-vet-drivers-more-thoroughly/\" target=\"_blank\">announced\u003c/a> an upgrade of its vetting process.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Supervisor Jane Kim, whose district includes the intersection where the New Year’s Eve fatality occurred, told KQED that the incident raised “questions regarding the driver training and selection process for the increasing number of ride-share drivers on our city streets. While emerging driver service apps fulfill an important need for flexible on-demand transportation in San Francisco, we must examine a universal baseline of scrutiny and safety oversight for these services.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[soundcloud url=\"https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/135925422\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Supervisor Eric Mar, who is organizing the upcoming hearing on March 6, told us “there were questions raised by the Sofia Liu accident and the (Lyft) accident. People want to ensure that drivers are well monitored and there are safety precautions that companies are ensuring. What are the driver training and safety precautions that this new, unregulated industry is adhering to?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Driver training?\u003cbr>\n\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The CPUC has made public safety its \u003cem>raison d'etre\u003c/em> for claiming regulatory oversight of the TNCs. In its \u003ca href=\"http://docs.cpuc.ca.gov/PublishedDocs/Published/G000/M077/K192/77192335.PDF\">decision\u003c/a> last year giving \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2013/07/31/cpuc-rideshare-decision/\" target=\"_blank\">the ride-service firms sanction to operate in the state\u003c/a>, the commission wrote that “protecting and enhancing public safety is the paramount purpose behind regulating this industry. We initiated this rule-making for the sole purpose of determining how TNCs affect public safety.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Aside from requiring background checks, one way the CPUC tried to address the issue of public safety was by mandating driver training programs. From Page 27 of the agency's decision:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>TNCs shall establish a driver training program to ensure that all drivers are safely operating the vehicle prior to the driver being able to offer service. This program must be filed with the Commission within 45 days of the adoption of this decision. TNCs must report to the Commission on an annual basis the number of drivers that became eligible and completed the course.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>We obtained these required filings from the CPUC. Below is Uber's, which stands out for its brevity -- just one page, including double spacing and double paragraph breaks. Filing as Rasier, its ride-service subsidiary, Uber submitted under a heading of “\u003ca href=\"//www.scribd.com/doc/203225658/Rasier-Driver-Training-Program%E2%80%9D\" target=\"_blank\">Driver Training Program\u003c/a>” exactly four paragraphs, with the actual steps the company plans to enhance driver training expressed in two sentences:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>Rasier will also recommend that partners with less than five years of driving history take a driver training course at a school listed in the California DMV’s Occupational License Status Information System database. For each California city where Rasier partners operate, Rasier will provide, during the application or onboarding process, a list of three such local driving schools.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We were a little surprised that the company would submit to its regulatory agency a driver safety plan that can fit on a midsize cocktail napkin. So we asked Uber if they had given the CPUC anything else related to driver training. They said, yes, they had submitted additional materials to the CPUC. At our request, the CPUC went back to double-check, then came back to us with nope, that's all there is.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I asked Supervisor Jane Kim what she thought of Uber's skimpy driver-safety filing. She said it didn't surprise her, as \u003ca href=\"http://www.therecorder.com/id=1202625115231/Uber-Tries-to-Hit-Brakes-on-CPUC-Ridesharing-Rules?slreturn=20140119134750\" target=\"_blank\">Uber's appeal\u003c/a> of the CPUC's \"very limited regulations\" was a \"statement in and of itself.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In contrast to Uber's ultra-short filing, both \u003ca href=\"http://www.scribd.com/doc/203225643/Lyft-CPUC-Report\">Lyft\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"http://www.scribd.com/doc/203225680/Sidecar-Driver-Training-Program\">Sidecar\u003c/a> filed documents describing driver training programs that were a little more extensive. Lyft, for instance, now requires applicants to drive with a \"mentor,\" who assesses candidates' suitability. Nathan Rosquist, 32, who has been driving in the Bay Area for Lyft since January, said he drove with his mentor for 30-40 minutes. The mentor also inspected his car. Lyft says these required ride-alongs have been in place since mid-October.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>'You're good to go'\u003cbr>\n\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The UberX drivers we spoke to described the company's driver-safety program as perfunctory. Four of the drivers would talk to us only if we agreed to withhold their names, because they were either afraid their insurance companies would find out they drive commercially or they did not want to jeopardize their standing with UberX.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Erika Maldonado, 25, of San Francisco, is a former KQED intern who recently signed up with UberX after the company offered financial incentives to lure away Lyft drivers. Maldonado said there was little if any material about safe driving in Uber's approval process.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[contextly_sidebar id=\"3f483b40852154ec4c30952976dd9410\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“All the training is a video tutorial online that you do at home. Standards for having your car clean, encouraging you to dress your best and look more professional. Some conduct things -- like telling you not to ask for tips or a good rating. And how to use the app.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tyler Granlund, 31, of Los Angeles, said in his training, he got “just the basics of how to provide the customers good service and what they expect from the driver.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"It was like a factory,\" said a 27-year-old male driver from Oakland. \"I went in there and in a five-minute turnaround, I was an Uber driver.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I went down there and there were just hundreds of people signing up,\" said Mikey, a 32-year-old UberX driver from the East Bay. \"I see someone, he gives me the phone and asks if I saw the training video. He said, 'You’re all good to go.' ”\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Car inspection by photo\u003cbr>\n\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The CPUC decision requires TNCs to either conduct a 19-point inspection “prior to allowing the driver to operate the vehicle” or to have the vehicle inspected at a facility licensed by the California Bureau of Automotive Repair. None of the drivers we spoke to had anybody from UberX look at ther cars. Instead, UberX requires drivers to upload photos of their vehicles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"You have to submit photos of every angle of your car, and interior photos,\" said Granlund. \"Those had to be approved before you could drive.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The CPUC inspection mandate includes items such as brakes, steering, headlights, seat belts, muffler and exhaust -- things that would be hard to assess, seemingly, from photos.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I asked Eric Mar what he thought about the lack of direct inspection of driver vehicles. “That just highlights how unregulated it is,” he said. “That would make me really nervous, that there’s not a physical inspection.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As far as judging driving abilities, none of the drivers were observed operating their vehicle by anyone from UberX.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Uber spokesman Noyes said the company is currently in the process of \"securing a relationship with an inspection service.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Are TNCs creating distracted drivers?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of the drivers we interviewed is a 40-something who lives in San Francisco and has been driving as many as 40-plus hours a week for UberX since before the CPUC rendered its decision last year. She says she is \"close to quitting\" because she does not believe it's currently possible for TNC drivers to get proper insurance and because she thinks the work is extremely dangerous.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignleft\"> 'I see a lot of (ride-service) drivers suddenly stopping in the middle of traffic to pick up a rider.'\u003ccite> Uber driver \u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>There are a “lot of factors working against” driving safely, she said. \"I’m multitasking a lot. I'm engaging in conversations with strangers in my car, trying to navigate correctly to my destination, paying attention to the GPS if I need it and interacting with the app if I need to. Like most drivers, I tend to drive at the most lucrative times, and those are the most dangerous times because there's the most drivers on the road and the most pedestrians. Every single time I drive I either see an accident, the aftermath, or I will see several near-misses.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I asked her if she thought there should be more evaluation of drivers by UberX. \"Oh God, yeah,\" she said. She does not believe the company places an emphasis on safe driving.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Everything they communicate to the driver is about providing the best, most professional, most convenient, expedient service to the rider.\" That, she said, can be at odds with traffic laws, encouraging double-parking or blocking traffic in order to give the customer the closest pickup point.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"There's unspoken pressure from Uber to pick the rider up exactly where they are, as opposed to finding the safest place to pull over. The riders often won’t see you or find you easily unless you pull up right to where they are. I see a lot of (ride-service) drivers suddenly stopping in the middle of traffic to pick up a rider. They don't put on their hazards, don’t give drivers any warning. They’re paying attention to their app.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She said the notion that the app encourages distracted driving, as asserted in the lawsuit of Sofia Liu's family, is valid, especially when taken in the context of everything else a TNC driver has to contend with.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"It gives you an audible beep when a ride comes through. Most drivers are going to look at where the ride is coming from and decide if they want it based on where it is. You tap it (to accept). Then you have to look at the location of where the person is, figure out where you are and the quickest way to get to them. If you're a smart, safe driver, you’re going to pull over and look at the map. But the truth is you're not always in a circumstance where you can do that, so you’re doing it while driving and navigating traffic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Plus you have strangers in your car who are having a conversation with you and ... that’s an important part of having a good rating.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_126925\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 307px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/01/8865_transform.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\" wp-image-126925 \" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/01/8865_transform-512x640.jpg\" alt=\"UberX drivers receive a company phone and emblem after signing up. (Jeremy Raff/KQED)\" width=\"307\" height=\"384\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">UberX drivers receive a company phone and emblem after signing up. (Jeremy Raff/KQED) \u003ccite>((Jeremy Raff/KQED))\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Two other drivers who have driven for both UberX and Lyft agreed the app is distracting. “With Uber more than Lyft, it creates a distraction because you are using two phones, one to accept a request and another to navigate and call the passenger,” one driver said. “Lyft has a navigation installed in their app so there's less fumbling between phones, but both systems typically lead to drivers looking at their phones. Unless you are pulled over between every request, it is impossible to avoid.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"You're scrambling between two different phones, various apps, busy streets, etc.,” said another driver. “I'd say probably not the safest.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The driver from San Francisco also thinks Uber's habit of raising fares in areas with the most demand, called \"surge pricing,\" encourages unsafe driving. Surge pricing comes into play at periods of peak demand, such as on New Year's Eve or during storms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"When there’s high surge pricing there’s intense incentive to get to the part of town where it’s happening. If you’re in the Sunset and you see that you're going to be paid three or four times better downtown, you want to get downtown as fast as you can. Surge pricing on New Year's Eve was crazy, six times (the regular price) in a four-block radius downtown, and the next block only two times. I can tell you, even as someone who works extra hard to be a super-paranoid defensive driver, when you see surge pricing go on, you want to get to that area the fastest you can, and you’re paying attention on the phone where the surge pricing is.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong> City officials want local regulations\u003cbr>\n\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since everyone has their favorite story of a San Francisco cab driver re-enacting the \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBLOLi_Ex-Q\" target=\"_blank\">chase scene\u003c/a> from “Bullitt,” you may be wondering by now if taxis are any better. To be fair, a couple of our UberX interviewees who were very critical of the company's lack of attention to driver safety also said they've seen taxis driving as recklessly as or worse than TNCs. But one thing to keep in mind: There are just 1,900 licensed cabs in the city, while no caps exist on the number of ride-service drivers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cab drivers are also required to go to “taxi school” before being certified. But Christiane Hayashi, director of Taxis and Accessible Services for the SFMTA, said that until now, no discernible standards for taxi schools have been in effect.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, earlier this month the agency rolled out a \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/01/TDT-101-Driver-Training-School-Cert1.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">new set of taxi-school standards\u003c/a>. These stipulate course length, instructor credentials, curriculum and testing. Courses must last a minimum of 28 hours, and the SFMTA has laid out specific time requirements for topics like maps/routes/locations, the California Vehicle Code and traffic safety, pedestrian safety, and taxi rules and regulations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is the sort of requirement that city officials would like to see applied to ride-service firms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I believe (TNCs) fulfill a need,\" said Supervisor Kim. \"But I believe that regulations (the city) holds taxicabs to will make them better. They should be held to the same standards that our taxi drivers are.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mar said his March hearing will address “what authority we have locally to protect public safety” when it comes to TNCs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But unlike in Seattle, where the city is \u003ca href=\"http://www.geekwire.com/2014/seattles-updated-ride-sharing-ordinance/\" target=\"_blank\">considering putting limits\u003c/a> on the number of ride-service drivers, or Chicago, where a \u003ca href=\"http://www.wbez.org/news/city-moves-regulate-rideshare-companies-109639\" target=\"_blank\">per-driver fee is under consideration\u003c/a>, the city may not have much recourse except to push the CPUC for stricter regulations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For now, in battling regulations around the country, \u003ca href=\"http://www.geekwire.com/2014/seattle-ride-sharing-innovation/\" target=\"_blank\">Lyft CEO John Zimmer has pointed to California\u003c/a> as a model of what ride-service regulation should look like.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_126917\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/01/RS8866_UberX_3-lpr.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-126917\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/01/RS8866_UberX_3-lpr-640x426.jpg\" alt=\"The California Public Utilities Commission requires Transportation Network Companies like UberX to display signage. (Jeremy Raff/KQED)\" width=\"640\" height=\"426\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The California Public Utilities Commission requires transportation network companies like UberX to display signage. (Jeremy Raff/KQED) \u003ccite>(Jeremy Raff/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 4.6875em;float: left;line-height: 0.733em;padding: 0.05em 0.1em 0 0;font-family: times, serif, georgia\">O\u003c/span>n March 6, the \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfbos.org/index.aspx?page=13992\" target=\"_blank\">Neighborhood Services and Safety Committee\u003c/a> of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors will hold a hearing on safety issues related to ride-service companies like Lyft and UberX.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The hearing was prompted by two accidents in San Francisco: On New Year's Eve an UberX driver struck three members of a family in a crosswalk, \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2014/01/02/122446/\" target=\"_blank\">killing a 6-year-old girl\u003c/a>. And in January a \u003ca href=\"http://venturebeat.com/2014/01/17/lyft-car-reportedly-in-accident-in-san-francisco-injuring-pedestrian/\" target=\"_blank\">Lyft driver struck an elderly woman\u003c/a>, fracturing her leg.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nobody knows just how many TNC (transportation network company) vehicles are whizzing around town carrying passengers, but the San Francisco Cab Drivers Association, an avowed archenemy of the nascent industry, says it has counted more than 3,000 to date.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We interviewed a number of TNC drivers to hear firsthand what they thought about safety issues, and eventually focused on those who drive for UberX, since they were the ones who most frequently described a lack of attention to driver safety and training within the sign-up process.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here are the main points, corroborated by the six UberX drivers we interviewed:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>UberX has not been inspecting drivers' cars, as required by the California Public Utiltiies Commission (CPUC), but simply reviews vehicle photos supplied by the drivers.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>UberX does not observe applicants actually driving before they are approved to work for the company.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>UberX applicants receive no training related to safe driving before they are approved.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Other issues emerged as well. Several drivers said that the UberX app, which is provided on a separate cellphone from the driver's personal phone, can be distracting. And two drivers said the ratings that each passenger gives to each driver can lead to unsafe driving, either because of a pressure to chat with riders or to drive faster than is advisable.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignleft\"> UberX's driver training submission stands out for its brevity — just four paragraphs. \u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>Almost all the interviewees said UberX’s process of signing up many drivers at the same time included no scrutiny or assessment of individuals beyond the background checks mandated by the state. One driver described the process as \"like a cattle call.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>I\u003c/strong>n a series of emails back and forth with KQED, UberX spokesman Andrew Noyes did not provide direct responses to these specific findings, but did volunteer that “Uber has submitted a proposal to the CPUC that addresses some of the issues you’ve outlined and we’re awaiting their approval.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Accidents get supervisors' attention\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On New Year's Eve, while driving for UberX, Syed Muzaffar, 57, of Union City, struck three pedestrians in the Tenderloin, killing 6-year-old Sofia Liu. The girl’s family has since \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2014/01/27/lawyer-filing-suit-against-ride-service-company-uber-in-death-of-6-year-o/\" target=\"_blank\">filed a lawsuit\u003c/a> against Muzaffar and Uber, claiming the driver app runs afoul of California’s distracted-driving laws. Muzaffar had been \u003ca href=\"http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/blog/2014/01/uber-uberx-sofia-liu.html?page=all\" target=\"_blank\">convicted of reckless driving\u003c/a> in Florida in 2004, a \u003ca href=\"http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2014-02-14/news/chi-uber-apologizes-for-missing-conviction-in-check-of-driver-20140214_1_chicago-tribune-driver-background\" target=\"_blank\">revelation\u003c/a> that was the first of several concerning \u003ca href=\"http://pando.com/2014/01/06/exclusive-uber-driver-accused-of-assault-passed-zero-tolerance-background-check-despite-criminal-history/\" target=\"_blank\">inadequate background checks\u003c/a> by UberX. (The company has since \u003ca href=\"http://blog.sfgate.com/techchron/2014/02/12/uber-to-vet-drivers-more-thoroughly/\" target=\"_blank\">announced\u003c/a> an upgrade of its vetting process.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Supervisor Jane Kim, whose district includes the intersection where the New Year’s Eve fatality occurred, told KQED that the incident raised “questions regarding the driver training and selection process for the increasing number of ride-share drivers on our city streets. While emerging driver service apps fulfill an important need for flexible on-demand transportation in San Francisco, we must examine a universal baseline of scrutiny and safety oversight for these services.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cdiv class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__shortcodes__shortcodeWrapper'>\n \u003ciframe width='undefined' height='undefined'\n scrolling='no' frameborder='no'\n src='https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/135925422&visual=true&undefined'\n title='https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/135925422'>\n \u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/div>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Supervisor Eric Mar, who is organizing the upcoming hearing on March 6, told us “there were questions raised by the Sofia Liu accident and the (Lyft) accident. People want to ensure that drivers are well monitored and there are safety precautions that companies are ensuring. What are the driver training and safety precautions that this new, unregulated industry is adhering to?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Driver training?\u003cbr>\n\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The CPUC has made public safety its \u003cem>raison d'etre\u003c/em> for claiming regulatory oversight of the TNCs. In its \u003ca href=\"http://docs.cpuc.ca.gov/PublishedDocs/Published/G000/M077/K192/77192335.PDF\">decision\u003c/a> last year giving \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2013/07/31/cpuc-rideshare-decision/\" target=\"_blank\">the ride-service firms sanction to operate in the state\u003c/a>, the commission wrote that “protecting and enhancing public safety is the paramount purpose behind regulating this industry. We initiated this rule-making for the sole purpose of determining how TNCs affect public safety.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Aside from requiring background checks, one way the CPUC tried to address the issue of public safety was by mandating driver training programs. From Page 27 of the agency's decision:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>TNCs shall establish a driver training program to ensure that all drivers are safely operating the vehicle prior to the driver being able to offer service. This program must be filed with the Commission within 45 days of the adoption of this decision. TNCs must report to the Commission on an annual basis the number of drivers that became eligible and completed the course.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>We obtained these required filings from the CPUC. Below is Uber's, which stands out for its brevity -- just one page, including double spacing and double paragraph breaks. Filing as Rasier, its ride-service subsidiary, Uber submitted under a heading of “\u003ca href=\"//www.scribd.com/doc/203225658/Rasier-Driver-Training-Program%E2%80%9D\" target=\"_blank\">Driver Training Program\u003c/a>” exactly four paragraphs, with the actual steps the company plans to enhance driver training expressed in two sentences:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>Rasier will also recommend that partners with less than five years of driving history take a driver training course at a school listed in the California DMV’s Occupational License Status Information System database. For each California city where Rasier partners operate, Rasier will provide, during the application or onboarding process, a list of three such local driving schools.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We were a little surprised that the company would submit to its regulatory agency a driver safety plan that can fit on a midsize cocktail napkin. So we asked Uber if they had given the CPUC anything else related to driver training. They said, yes, they had submitted additional materials to the CPUC. At our request, the CPUC went back to double-check, then came back to us with nope, that's all there is.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I asked Supervisor Jane Kim what she thought of Uber's skimpy driver-safety filing. She said it didn't surprise her, as \u003ca href=\"http://www.therecorder.com/id=1202625115231/Uber-Tries-to-Hit-Brakes-on-CPUC-Ridesharing-Rules?slreturn=20140119134750\" target=\"_blank\">Uber's appeal\u003c/a> of the CPUC's \"very limited regulations\" was a \"statement in and of itself.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In contrast to Uber's ultra-short filing, both \u003ca href=\"http://www.scribd.com/doc/203225643/Lyft-CPUC-Report\">Lyft\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"http://www.scribd.com/doc/203225680/Sidecar-Driver-Training-Program\">Sidecar\u003c/a> filed documents describing driver training programs that were a little more extensive. Lyft, for instance, now requires applicants to drive with a \"mentor,\" who assesses candidates' suitability. Nathan Rosquist, 32, who has been driving in the Bay Area for Lyft since January, said he drove with his mentor for 30-40 minutes. The mentor also inspected his car. Lyft says these required ride-alongs have been in place since mid-October.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>'You're good to go'\u003cbr>\n\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The UberX drivers we spoke to described the company's driver-safety program as perfunctory. Four of the drivers would talk to us only if we agreed to withhold their names, because they were either afraid their insurance companies would find out they drive commercially or they did not want to jeopardize their standing with UberX.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Erika Maldonado, 25, of San Francisco, is a former KQED intern who recently signed up with UberX after the company offered financial incentives to lure away Lyft drivers. Maldonado said there was little if any material about safe driving in Uber's approval process.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“All the training is a video tutorial online that you do at home. Standards for having your car clean, encouraging you to dress your best and look more professional. Some conduct things -- like telling you not to ask for tips or a good rating. And how to use the app.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tyler Granlund, 31, of Los Angeles, said in his training, he got “just the basics of how to provide the customers good service and what they expect from the driver.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"It was like a factory,\" said a 27-year-old male driver from Oakland. \"I went in there and in a five-minute turnaround, I was an Uber driver.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I went down there and there were just hundreds of people signing up,\" said Mikey, a 32-year-old UberX driver from the East Bay. \"I see someone, he gives me the phone and asks if I saw the training video. He said, 'You’re all good to go.' ”\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Car inspection by photo\u003cbr>\n\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The CPUC decision requires TNCs to either conduct a 19-point inspection “prior to allowing the driver to operate the vehicle” or to have the vehicle inspected at a facility licensed by the California Bureau of Automotive Repair. None of the drivers we spoke to had anybody from UberX look at ther cars. Instead, UberX requires drivers to upload photos of their vehicles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"You have to submit photos of every angle of your car, and interior photos,\" said Granlund. \"Those had to be approved before you could drive.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The CPUC inspection mandate includes items such as brakes, steering, headlights, seat belts, muffler and exhaust -- things that would be hard to assess, seemingly, from photos.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I asked Eric Mar what he thought about the lack of direct inspection of driver vehicles. “That just highlights how unregulated it is,” he said. “That would make me really nervous, that there’s not a physical inspection.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As far as judging driving abilities, none of the drivers were observed operating their vehicle by anyone from UberX.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Uber spokesman Noyes said the company is currently in the process of \"securing a relationship with an inspection service.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Are TNCs creating distracted drivers?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of the drivers we interviewed is a 40-something who lives in San Francisco and has been driving as many as 40-plus hours a week for UberX since before the CPUC rendered its decision last year. She says she is \"close to quitting\" because she does not believe it's currently possible for TNC drivers to get proper insurance and because she thinks the work is extremely dangerous.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignleft\"> 'I see a lot of (ride-service) drivers suddenly stopping in the middle of traffic to pick up a rider.'\u003ccite> Uber driver \u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>There are a “lot of factors working against” driving safely, she said. \"I’m multitasking a lot. I'm engaging in conversations with strangers in my car, trying to navigate correctly to my destination, paying attention to the GPS if I need it and interacting with the app if I need to. Like most drivers, I tend to drive at the most lucrative times, and those are the most dangerous times because there's the most drivers on the road and the most pedestrians. Every single time I drive I either see an accident, the aftermath, or I will see several near-misses.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I asked her if she thought there should be more evaluation of drivers by UberX. \"Oh God, yeah,\" she said. She does not believe the company places an emphasis on safe driving.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Everything they communicate to the driver is about providing the best, most professional, most convenient, expedient service to the rider.\" That, she said, can be at odds with traffic laws, encouraging double-parking or blocking traffic in order to give the customer the closest pickup point.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"There's unspoken pressure from Uber to pick the rider up exactly where they are, as opposed to finding the safest place to pull over. The riders often won’t see you or find you easily unless you pull up right to where they are. I see a lot of (ride-service) drivers suddenly stopping in the middle of traffic to pick up a rider. They don't put on their hazards, don’t give drivers any warning. They’re paying attention to their app.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She said the notion that the app encourages distracted driving, as asserted in the lawsuit of Sofia Liu's family, is valid, especially when taken in the context of everything else a TNC driver has to contend with.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"It gives you an audible beep when a ride comes through. Most drivers are going to look at where the ride is coming from and decide if they want it based on where it is. You tap it (to accept). Then you have to look at the location of where the person is, figure out where you are and the quickest way to get to them. If you're a smart, safe driver, you’re going to pull over and look at the map. But the truth is you're not always in a circumstance where you can do that, so you’re doing it while driving and navigating traffic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Plus you have strangers in your car who are having a conversation with you and ... that’s an important part of having a good rating.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_126925\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 307px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/01/8865_transform.jpg\">\u003cimg class=\" wp-image-126925 \" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/01/8865_transform-512x640.jpg\" alt=\"UberX drivers receive a company phone and emblem after signing up. (Jeremy Raff/KQED)\" width=\"307\" height=\"384\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">UberX drivers receive a company phone and emblem after signing up. (Jeremy Raff/KQED) \u003ccite>((Jeremy Raff/KQED))\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Two other drivers who have driven for both UberX and Lyft agreed the app is distracting. “With Uber more than Lyft, it creates a distraction because you are using two phones, one to accept a request and another to navigate and call the passenger,” one driver said. “Lyft has a navigation installed in their app so there's less fumbling between phones, but both systems typically lead to drivers looking at their phones. Unless you are pulled over between every request, it is impossible to avoid.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"You're scrambling between two different phones, various apps, busy streets, etc.,” said another driver. “I'd say probably not the safest.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The driver from San Francisco also thinks Uber's habit of raising fares in areas with the most demand, called \"surge pricing,\" encourages unsafe driving. Surge pricing comes into play at periods of peak demand, such as on New Year's Eve or during storms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"When there’s high surge pricing there’s intense incentive to get to the part of town where it’s happening. If you’re in the Sunset and you see that you're going to be paid three or four times better downtown, you want to get downtown as fast as you can. Surge pricing on New Year's Eve was crazy, six times (the regular price) in a four-block radius downtown, and the next block only two times. I can tell you, even as someone who works extra hard to be a super-paranoid defensive driver, when you see surge pricing go on, you want to get to that area the fastest you can, and you’re paying attention on the phone where the surge pricing is.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong> City officials want local regulations\u003cbr>\n\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since everyone has their favorite story of a San Francisco cab driver re-enacting the \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBLOLi_Ex-Q\" target=\"_blank\">chase scene\u003c/a> from “Bullitt,” you may be wondering by now if taxis are any better. To be fair, a couple of our UberX interviewees who were very critical of the company's lack of attention to driver safety also said they've seen taxis driving as recklessly as or worse than TNCs. But one thing to keep in mind: There are just 1,900 licensed cabs in the city, while no caps exist on the number of ride-service drivers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cab drivers are also required to go to “taxi school” before being certified. But Christiane Hayashi, director of Taxis and Accessible Services for the SFMTA, said that until now, no discernible standards for taxi schools have been in effect.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, earlier this month the agency rolled out a \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/01/TDT-101-Driver-Training-School-Cert1.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">new set of taxi-school standards\u003c/a>. These stipulate course length, instructor credentials, curriculum and testing. Courses must last a minimum of 28 hours, and the SFMTA has laid out specific time requirements for topics like maps/routes/locations, the California Vehicle Code and traffic safety, pedestrian safety, and taxi rules and regulations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is the sort of requirement that city officials would like to see applied to ride-service firms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I believe (TNCs) fulfill a need,\" said Supervisor Kim. \"But I believe that regulations (the city) holds taxicabs to will make them better. They should be held to the same standards that our taxi drivers are.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mar said his March hearing will address “what authority we have locally to protect public safety” when it comes to TNCs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But unlike in Seattle, where the city is \u003ca href=\"http://www.geekwire.com/2014/seattles-updated-ride-sharing-ordinance/\" target=\"_blank\">considering putting limits\u003c/a> on the number of ride-service drivers, or Chicago, where a \u003ca href=\"http://www.wbez.org/news/city-moves-regulate-rideshare-companies-109639\" target=\"_blank\">per-driver fee is under consideration\u003c/a>, the city may not have much recourse except to push the CPUC for stricter regulations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For now, in battling regulations around the country, \u003ca href=\"http://www.geekwire.com/2014/seattle-ride-sharing-innovation/\" target=\"_blank\">Lyft CEO John Zimmer has pointed to California\u003c/a> as a model of what ride-service regulation should look like.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"disqusTitle": "UberX and Lyft Disability Access Plans Not Wowing Advocates",
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"content": "\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_105128\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 320px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-105128\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2013/07/LyftCar.jpg\" alt=\"Lyft car\" width=\"320\" height=\"233\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A Lyft car drives in San Francisco (Steve Rhodes/Flickr)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Concerns-of-disabled-grow-along-with-ride-services-5240889.php\" target=\"_blank\">San Francisco Chronicle ran a story\u003c/a> Monday about disabled passengers' access to vehicles doing business through companies like UberX and Lyft. The Chron reported that the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency is worried about disability access because a quarter of wheelchair-accessible cabs are currently off the streets due to a lack of drivers. One reason for that: So many taxi drivers have switched to driving for the ride-service firms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In its \u003ca href=\"http://docs.cpuc.ca.gov/PublishedDocs/Published/G000/M077/K192/77192335.PDF\" target=\"_blank\">decision\u003c/a> last year officially sanctioning these transportation network companies (or TNCs) to operate in California, the CPUC said it wants \"to ensure that there is no divide between service provided to the able and disabled communities.\" To that end, the commission is requiring that the companies allow passengers to indicate whether they need a wheelchair-accessible vehicle, and that TNCs like Lyft and UberX submit a yearly report stating how often the company was able to comply with the request. The first such report is due in September.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The CPUC also requires that TNCs submit a \"plan for how the TNC will work to provide appropriate vehicles for passengers who specify access needs, including but not limited to a plan to provide incentive to individuals with accessible vehicles to become TNC drivers.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Chronicle looked at the access plans filed by Lyft, UberX, Sidecar, Tickengo (Wingz) and Instant Cab. Those last two proposed the most specific steps to meet the wheelchair requirement: InstantCab said it was considering offering higher pay to drivers with accessible vehicles, and Tickengo said it would cut its commission for such drivers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Below are documents filed by Lyft and UberX (filing as Rasier) in November. As you can see they are short on specifics as to how the companies will comply with the CPUC's mandate on wheelchair access. Marilyn Golden, senior policy analyst with the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund, told KQED that \"these ride-sharing apps are not taking seriously their responsibilities under federal law and local regulation to provide full services for people with disabilities. ... It appears that they will not attempt the more difficult measures, such as establishing a fleet of wheelchair-accessible vehicles.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Golden called for the companies to be regulated as heavily as taxis, which come under local jurisdiction, not the state oversight they are subject to from the CPUC.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The state is now making a meager, somewhat problematic effort to regulate them, \" she said. \"It's not clear that they have the resources to monitor what they're doing.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Chronicle also talked to Larry Paradis, executive director of Disability Rights Advocates in Berkeley. He told the paper that the plans \"don't address the fundamental challenge, which is ensuring enough accessible vehicles to make this transportation system at least minimally accessible for people with mobility disabilities.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Carla Johnson, interim director of the San Francisco Mayor's Office on Disability, questioned whether the CPUC \"has the resources to monitor or enforce these different plans.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"margin: 12px auto 6px auto;font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-style: normal;font-variant: normal;font-weight: normal;font-size: 14px;line-height: normal\">\u003ca style=\"text-decoration: underline\" title=\"View Rasier Accessibility Plan on Scribd\" href=\"http://www.scribd.com/doc/203225651/Rasier-Accessibility-Plan\">UberX Accessibility Plan\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"margin: 12px auto 6px auto;font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-style: normal;font-variant: normal;font-weight: normal;font-size: 14px;line-height: normal\">UberX says it \"will reach out to transportation companies with accessible vehicles about the possibility of partnering.\" The Chronicle reports that the company said it unsuccessfully tried to partner with a paratransit company in 2012.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ciframe id=\"doc_84716\" src=\"//www.scribd.com/embeds/203225651/content?start_page=1&view_mode=scroll&access_key=key-uwv9bllfblquwaxyanz&show_recommendations=true\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" width=\"100%\" height=\"600\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"margin: 12px auto 6px auto;font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-style: normal;font-variant: normal;font-weight: normal;font-size: 14px;line-height: normal\"> \u003ca style=\"text-decoration: underline\" title=\"View Lyft CPUC Report on Scribd\" href=\"http://www.scribd.com/doc/203225643/Lyft-CPUC-Report\">Lyft Accessibility Plan\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"margin: 12px auto 6px auto;font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-style: normal;font-variant: normal;font-weight: normal;font-size: 14px;line-height: normal\">Lyft says it is working to enable its app to allow drivers to indicate when their vehicle is wheelchair accessible, but it doesn't say anything about how it will work to provide those vehicles. The Chronicle reports Lyft also said \"it is working to engage and educate the handicapped community.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ciframe id=\"doc_13531\" src=\"//www.scribd.com/embeds/203225643/content?start_page=1&view_mode=scroll&access_key=key-2fy6hu6azvqhm47mu8mf&show_recommendations=true\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" width=\"100%\" height=\"600\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_105128\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 320px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-105128\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2013/07/LyftCar.jpg\" alt=\"Lyft car\" width=\"320\" height=\"233\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A Lyft car drives in San Francisco (Steve Rhodes/Flickr)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Concerns-of-disabled-grow-along-with-ride-services-5240889.php\" target=\"_blank\">San Francisco Chronicle ran a story\u003c/a> Monday about disabled passengers' access to vehicles doing business through companies like UberX and Lyft. The Chron reported that the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency is worried about disability access because a quarter of wheelchair-accessible cabs are currently off the streets due to a lack of drivers. One reason for that: So many taxi drivers have switched to driving for the ride-service firms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In its \u003ca href=\"http://docs.cpuc.ca.gov/PublishedDocs/Published/G000/M077/K192/77192335.PDF\" target=\"_blank\">decision\u003c/a> last year officially sanctioning these transportation network companies (or TNCs) to operate in California, the CPUC said it wants \"to ensure that there is no divide between service provided to the able and disabled communities.\" To that end, the commission is requiring that the companies allow passengers to indicate whether they need a wheelchair-accessible vehicle, and that TNCs like Lyft and UberX submit a yearly report stating how often the company was able to comply with the request. The first such report is due in September.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The CPUC also requires that TNCs submit a \"plan for how the TNC will work to provide appropriate vehicles for passengers who specify access needs, including but not limited to a plan to provide incentive to individuals with accessible vehicles to become TNC drivers.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Chronicle looked at the access plans filed by Lyft, UberX, Sidecar, Tickengo (Wingz) and Instant Cab. Those last two proposed the most specific steps to meet the wheelchair requirement: InstantCab said it was considering offering higher pay to drivers with accessible vehicles, and Tickengo said it would cut its commission for such drivers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Below are documents filed by Lyft and UberX (filing as Rasier) in November. As you can see they are short on specifics as to how the companies will comply with the CPUC's mandate on wheelchair access. Marilyn Golden, senior policy analyst with the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund, told KQED that \"these ride-sharing apps are not taking seriously their responsibilities under federal law and local regulation to provide full services for people with disabilities. ... It appears that they will not attempt the more difficult measures, such as establishing a fleet of wheelchair-accessible vehicles.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Golden called for the companies to be regulated as heavily as taxis, which come under local jurisdiction, not the state oversight they are subject to from the CPUC.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The state is now making a meager, somewhat problematic effort to regulate them, \" she said. \"It's not clear that they have the resources to monitor what they're doing.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Chronicle also talked to Larry Paradis, executive director of Disability Rights Advocates in Berkeley. He told the paper that the plans \"don't address the fundamental challenge, which is ensuring enough accessible vehicles to make this transportation system at least minimally accessible for people with mobility disabilities.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Carla Johnson, interim director of the San Francisco Mayor's Office on Disability, questioned whether the CPUC \"has the resources to monitor or enforce these different plans.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"margin: 12px auto 6px auto;font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-style: normal;font-variant: normal;font-weight: normal;font-size: 14px;line-height: normal\">\u003ca style=\"text-decoration: underline\" title=\"View Rasier Accessibility Plan on Scribd\" href=\"http://www.scribd.com/doc/203225651/Rasier-Accessibility-Plan\">UberX Accessibility Plan\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"margin: 12px auto 6px auto;font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-style: normal;font-variant: normal;font-weight: normal;font-size: 14px;line-height: normal\">UberX says it \"will reach out to transportation companies with accessible vehicles about the possibility of partnering.\" The Chronicle reports that the company said it unsuccessfully tried to partner with a paratransit company in 2012.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ciframe id=\"doc_84716\" src=\"//www.scribd.com/embeds/203225651/content?start_page=1&view_mode=scroll&access_key=key-uwv9bllfblquwaxyanz&show_recommendations=true\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" width=\"100%\" height=\"600\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"margin: 12px auto 6px auto;font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-style: normal;font-variant: normal;font-weight: normal;font-size: 14px;line-height: normal\"> \u003ca style=\"text-decoration: underline\" title=\"View Lyft CPUC Report on Scribd\" href=\"http://www.scribd.com/doc/203225643/Lyft-CPUC-Report\">Lyft Accessibility Plan\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"margin: 12px auto 6px auto;font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-style: normal;font-variant: normal;font-weight: normal;font-size: 14px;line-height: normal\">Lyft says it is working to enable its app to allow drivers to indicate when their vehicle is wheelchair accessible, but it doesn't say anything about how it will work to provide those vehicles. The Chronicle reports Lyft also said \"it is working to engage and educate the handicapped community.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ciframe id=\"doc_13531\" src=\"//www.scribd.com/embeds/203225643/content?start_page=1&view_mode=scroll&access_key=key-2fy6hu6azvqhm47mu8mf&show_recommendations=true\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" width=\"100%\" height=\"600\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_118115\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-118115\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/11/lyft.jpg\" alt=\"Two agents from the same insurance company gave TNC driver different answers on whether they could provide coverage. (Deborah Svoboda/KQED)\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Two agents from the same insurance company gave TNC driver different answers on whether they could provide coverage. (Deborah Svoboda/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The ride-service company Lyft on Wednesday \u003ca href=\"http://blog.lyft.com/post/75739276230/introducing-the-p2p-rideshare-insurance-coalition\" target=\"_blank\">announced\u003c/a> it is offering additional insurance coverage to augment a $1 million excess liability policy mandated by the California Public Utilities Commission.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>From the Lyft Blog:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>(W)e have worked with leading insurance carriers to now provide additional insurance solutions for drivers on the Lyft platform. Today, we’re excited to be the first company to announce three additional excess coverages now live:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Collision ($2,500 deductible and $50,000 maximum applicable to drivers who have purchased collision coverage on their personal policy)\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Uninsured motorists ($1M limit covering drivers if they are hit by an uninsured motorist that is at fault)\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Underinsured motorists ($1M limit covering drivers if they are hit by an underinsured motorist that is at fault)\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>Two weeks ago, Kara Cross, general counsel for the Personal Insurance Federation of California, told us the lack of uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage was one of the defects in TNC insurance. Cross said that drivers injured while on a TNC call could only draw on the TNC coverage if the TNC driver was judged to be at fault. Lyft's new insurance coverage seems intended to address that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition to the new coverage, Lyft said it is taking part in a new group called the Peer-to-Peer Rideshare Insurance Coalition, which will address \"how the insurance industry can continue evolving to support the growing peer-to-peer economy.\" Lyft said the group is made up of \"transportation companies, regulators, insurance providers, and other stakeholders,\" as well as the CPUC. The first meeting is scheduled for this month.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Andrew Noyes, a spokesman for UberX, which has been luring Lyft drivers away with bonuses, said in an email that the company has offered uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage since December. He said while the company does not have collision coverage, \"we have been addressing this in practice by reimbursing drivers if their own collision insurance denies, with no deductible.\" \u003cstrong>\u003c/strong> \u003cstrong>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Insurance is something of an Achilles Heel for the burgeoning ride-service industry, which has stolen a substantial share of customers and even drivers from the local taxi industry. In November we wrote about a \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2013/11/14/who-pays-when-ride-share-driver-crashes\" target=\"_blank\">welter of issues\u003c/a> surrounding insurance for companies like Lyft, UberX, and Sidecar. Some of what we found:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>The Transportation Network Companies, or TNCS, as the CPUC designates them, say drivers’ personal insurance policies will cover some claims. The insurance industry says the policies won’t provide any coverage.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>The insurance industry says TNC drivers will have to buy commercial insurance to be covered when they’re driving for hire and maybe even when they’re not.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>We also talked to multiple drivers who have \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2014/01/20/ride-sharing-insurance-lyft-uberx-sidecar/\" target=\"_blank\">not told their insurance companies\u003c/a> about their TNC work because they are fearful their personal policies will be cancelled. At least two cancellations have been documented, including one in January, when a driver on a Lyft Facebook page posted a Geico cancellation notice she received for \"commercial use of your 2012 Toyota Prius.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The posting sparked a long online discussion among Lyft drivers. Wrote one fellow Lyft driver:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“No one, I mean no one told me my insurance would have a problem with it. What’s Lyft’s response to the fact that serving for them may end up with us losing insurance and possibly our livelihood?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lyft's announcement today would not seem to solve that issue. On the Lyft Lounge, a posting of the announcement was greeted with a mixture of enthusiasm, skepticism, and questioning. Two comments:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>I still think before we jump onto the Good Ship Lollypop, we should get specific answers to specific questions. What we have now is a great first step, but we need to fully understand what we have here. So while this has calmed the troubled waters for now, it needs to be fully explained....unless of course, someone in the general community can do so.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>This is NOT a solution! It's still an excess insurance policy. In the event of an accident, you must still file a claim with your personal insurance company, and the excess policy will only kick in once your claim has been rejected. In addition to being rejected, your insurer will also drop your coverage. Doesn't sound victorious to me...\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>At one point in the long thread, Lyft CEO John Zimmer stepped in to answer doubters: \"Big step with the new coverages and we'll keep working on more to come.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition to the cancellation risk, a fatal New Year's Eve accident in San Francisco involving an UberX driver brought to light the narrow circumstances under which TNCs consider their drivers covered. In that accident, the driver, who had come to the city for the express purpose of servicing UberX customers, according to his lawyer, was between calls. That excluded him from coverage, according to UberX. Lyft has a similar exclusion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In January, the \u003ca href=\"http://www.insurance.ca.gov/0250-insurers/0300-insurers/0200-bulletins/bulletin-notices-commiss-opinion/TransNetwkDrvrs.cfm\" target=\"_blank\">California Dept. of Insurance issued a warning to TNC drivers\u003c/a> about the insurance gap. And no less an authority than Consumer Reports recently published an article called \"\u003ca href=\"http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2014/01/dont-risk-car-insurance-as-part-time-taxi/index.htm?loginMethod=auto\" target=\"_blank\">Don't risk your car insurance by operating your vehicle as a part-time taxi\u003c/a>.\"\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_118115\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-118115\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/11/lyft.jpg\" alt=\"Two agents from the same insurance company gave TNC driver different answers on whether they could provide coverage. (Deborah Svoboda/KQED)\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Two agents from the same insurance company gave TNC driver different answers on whether they could provide coverage. (Deborah Svoboda/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The ride-service company Lyft on Wednesday \u003ca href=\"http://blog.lyft.com/post/75739276230/introducing-the-p2p-rideshare-insurance-coalition\" target=\"_blank\">announced\u003c/a> it is offering additional insurance coverage to augment a $1 million excess liability policy mandated by the California Public Utilities Commission.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>From the Lyft Blog:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>(W)e have worked with leading insurance carriers to now provide additional insurance solutions for drivers on the Lyft platform. Today, we’re excited to be the first company to announce three additional excess coverages now live:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Collision ($2,500 deductible and $50,000 maximum applicable to drivers who have purchased collision coverage on their personal policy)\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Uninsured motorists ($1M limit covering drivers if they are hit by an uninsured motorist that is at fault)\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Underinsured motorists ($1M limit covering drivers if they are hit by an underinsured motorist that is at fault)\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>Two weeks ago, Kara Cross, general counsel for the Personal Insurance Federation of California, told us the lack of uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage was one of the defects in TNC insurance. Cross said that drivers injured while on a TNC call could only draw on the TNC coverage if the TNC driver was judged to be at fault. Lyft's new insurance coverage seems intended to address that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition to the new coverage, Lyft said it is taking part in a new group called the Peer-to-Peer Rideshare Insurance Coalition, which will address \"how the insurance industry can continue evolving to support the growing peer-to-peer economy.\" Lyft said the group is made up of \"transportation companies, regulators, insurance providers, and other stakeholders,\" as well as the CPUC. The first meeting is scheduled for this month.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Andrew Noyes, a spokesman for UberX, which has been luring Lyft drivers away with bonuses, said in an email that the company has offered uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage since December. He said while the company does not have collision coverage, \"we have been addressing this in practice by reimbursing drivers if their own collision insurance denies, with no deductible.\" \u003cstrong>\u003c/strong> \u003cstrong>\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Insurance is something of an Achilles Heel for the burgeoning ride-service industry, which has stolen a substantial share of customers and even drivers from the local taxi industry. In November we wrote about a \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2013/11/14/who-pays-when-ride-share-driver-crashes\" target=\"_blank\">welter of issues\u003c/a> surrounding insurance for companies like Lyft, UberX, and Sidecar. Some of what we found:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>The Transportation Network Companies, or TNCS, as the CPUC designates them, say drivers’ personal insurance policies will cover some claims. The insurance industry says the policies won’t provide any coverage.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>The insurance industry says TNC drivers will have to buy commercial insurance to be covered when they’re driving for hire and maybe even when they’re not.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>We also talked to multiple drivers who have \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2014/01/20/ride-sharing-insurance-lyft-uberx-sidecar/\" target=\"_blank\">not told their insurance companies\u003c/a> about their TNC work because they are fearful their personal policies will be cancelled. At least two cancellations have been documented, including one in January, when a driver on a Lyft Facebook page posted a Geico cancellation notice she received for \"commercial use of your 2012 Toyota Prius.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The posting sparked a long online discussion among Lyft drivers. Wrote one fellow Lyft driver:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“No one, I mean no one told me my insurance would have a problem with it. What’s Lyft’s response to the fact that serving for them may end up with us losing insurance and possibly our livelihood?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lyft's announcement today would not seem to solve that issue. On the Lyft Lounge, a posting of the announcement was greeted with a mixture of enthusiasm, skepticism, and questioning. Two comments:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>I still think before we jump onto the Good Ship Lollypop, we should get specific answers to specific questions. What we have now is a great first step, but we need to fully understand what we have here. So while this has calmed the troubled waters for now, it needs to be fully explained....unless of course, someone in the general community can do so.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>This is NOT a solution! It's still an excess insurance policy. In the event of an accident, you must still file a claim with your personal insurance company, and the excess policy will only kick in once your claim has been rejected. In addition to being rejected, your insurer will also drop your coverage. Doesn't sound victorious to me...\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>At one point in the long thread, Lyft CEO John Zimmer stepped in to answer doubters: \"Big step with the new coverages and we'll keep working on more to come.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition to the cancellation risk, a fatal New Year's Eve accident in San Francisco involving an UberX driver brought to light the narrow circumstances under which TNCs consider their drivers covered. In that accident, the driver, who had come to the city for the express purpose of servicing UberX customers, according to his lawyer, was between calls. That excluded him from coverage, according to UberX. Lyft has a similar exclusion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In January, the \u003ca href=\"http://www.insurance.ca.gov/0250-insurers/0300-insurers/0200-bulletins/bulletin-notices-commiss-opinion/TransNetwkDrvrs.cfm\" target=\"_blank\">California Dept. of Insurance issued a warning to TNC drivers\u003c/a> about the insurance gap. And no less an authority than Consumer Reports recently published an article called \"\u003ca href=\"http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2014/01/dont-risk-car-insurance-as-part-time-taxi/index.htm?loginMethod=auto\" target=\"_blank\">Don't risk your car insurance by operating your vehicle as a part-time taxi\u003c/a>.\"\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "uber-sued-over-death-of-6-year-old-girl",
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"content": "\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_122490\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/01/pedestrian1-e1388695607211.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-122490\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/01/pedestrian1-640x426.jpg\" alt=\"A memorial at the intersection of Polk and Ellis streets in San Francisco, where a 6-year-old girl was struck by a car and killed on New Year's Eve. (Sara Bloomberg/KQED)\" width=\"640\" height=\"426\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A memorial at the intersection of Polk and Ellis streets in San Francisco, where a 6-year-old girl was struck by a car and killed on New Year’s Eve. (Sara Bloomberg/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A San Francisco lawyer is filing suit against ride-service company Uber in connection with a New Year’s Eve incident in which a driver for the firm struck and killed a 6-year-old girl at a Tenderloin street corner.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lawyer Christopher Dolan says (\u003ca href=\"http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/01/27/uber-and-a-childs-death/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">by way of The New York Times\u003c/a> and others) that his planned filing today in San Francisco Superior Court is the first wrongful-death action ever filed against Uber, a leader among what regulators call “transportation network companies.” The San Francisco-based firm also faces at least two other personal-injury lawsuits in the city related to accidents that have occurred over the past 10 months.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2014/01/20/ride-sharing-insurance-lyft-uberx-sidecar/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">my colleague Jon Brooks has reported\u003c/a>, the Dec. 31 accident involved driver Syed Muzaffar, a Union City man who drives passengers as part of the Uber network. Muzaffar came to the city on New Year’s Eve, his lawyer, Graham Archer says, with the express intent to drive passengers for the company’s UberX ride service and had already completed one trip.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dolan’s lawsuit (embedded in full below) picks up the story there:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>19. … [A]t just before 8:00pm, HUAN KUANG was walking home in San Francisco with her two children, ANTHONY LIU, who was 5 years old, and SOFIA LIU, who was 6 years old.\u003cbr>\n20. They approached the intersection of Polk Street and Ellis Street. When the light was green for them to walk, they began to cross Polk Street within the crosswalk.\u003cbr>\n21. As they were in the cross-walk, with the signal green for them to walk, a vehicle driven by Defendant SYED MUZZAFAR turned right from Ellis Street and collided with HUAN KUANG, ANTHONY LIU and SOFIA LIU.\u003cbr>\n22. The collision caused the wrongful death of SOFIA LIU, and caused serious and significant physical and mental injuries to the other Plaintiffs in this action.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>Muzaffar was arrested \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2014/01/02/122446/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After the accident, Uber quickly acknowledged that “a partner” had been involved in the accident and was equally quick to say that the partner wasn’t working for the service when he struck the pedestrians, a statement intended to distance the company from liability. But Muzaffar was logged on to the Uber app and awaiting another customer, his attorney says, meaning that in essence he was engaged in company business and should be covered by the company’s $1 million liability insurance policy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dolan contends in the suit filed today that Muzaffar was not only logged on to the app at the time of the accident, but was “viewing, monitoring and/or interacting with his wireless communications device/smartphone/GPS at or near the time of the collision.” The complaint alleges that Uber’s app requires drivers to violate the California law that seeks to address distracted driving by banning the manual operation of mobile phones, GPS devices and the like.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The suit also takes on Uber’s suggestion that it has no liability because Muzaffar was not in active service at the time he struck Sophia Liu. The complaint notes that, like any other startup, the company’s business model depends on attracting more users. To be able to deliver on its promise of prompt service, the suit say, the company needs a “significant number” of drivers available to provide rides. “Therefore,” the suit says, “regardless of whether a DRIVER actually has a USER in their car, is on the way to a USER who has engaged the DRIVER through the APP, or simply is logged on to the APP as an available DRIVER, UBER, and/or RASIER LLC and/or RAISER-CA LLC and/or Does 1-10 and 21-30 derives an economic benefit from having DRIVERS registered on the service.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dolan \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2014/01/15/watch-jahi-mcmath-lawyer-discusses-case/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">also represents the family of Jahi McMath\u003c/a>, the brain-dead Oakland teenager who last month went to court to fight a hospital’s attempt to remove her from a ventilator.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here’s the lawsuit in a version uploaded by The New York Times:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"doc_13342\" src=\"//www.scribd.com/embeds/202550537/content?start_page=1&view_mode=scroll&show_recommendations=true\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" width=\"100%\" height=\"600\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Reach Dan Brekke at \u003ca href=\"mailto:dbrekke@kqed.org\">dbrekke@kqed.org\u003c/a> or (415) 553-2176.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "Suit challenges company's suggestion that it's not liable because driver was not on an Uber call. ",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_122490\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/01/pedestrian1-e1388695607211.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-122490\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/01/pedestrian1-640x426.jpg\" alt=\"A memorial at the intersection of Polk and Ellis streets in San Francisco, where a 6-year-old girl was struck by a car and killed on New Year's Eve. (Sara Bloomberg/KQED)\" width=\"640\" height=\"426\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A memorial at the intersection of Polk and Ellis streets in San Francisco, where a 6-year-old girl was struck by a car and killed on New Year’s Eve. (Sara Bloomberg/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A San Francisco lawyer is filing suit against ride-service company Uber in connection with a New Year’s Eve incident in which a driver for the firm struck and killed a 6-year-old girl at a Tenderloin street corner.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lawyer Christopher Dolan says (\u003ca href=\"http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/01/27/uber-and-a-childs-death/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">by way of The New York Times\u003c/a> and others) that his planned filing today in San Francisco Superior Court is the first wrongful-death action ever filed against Uber, a leader among what regulators call “transportation network companies.” The San Francisco-based firm also faces at least two other personal-injury lawsuits in the city related to accidents that have occurred over the past 10 months.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2014/01/20/ride-sharing-insurance-lyft-uberx-sidecar/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">my colleague Jon Brooks has reported\u003c/a>, the Dec. 31 accident involved driver Syed Muzaffar, a Union City man who drives passengers as part of the Uber network. Muzaffar came to the city on New Year’s Eve, his lawyer, Graham Archer says, with the express intent to drive passengers for the company’s UberX ride service and had already completed one trip.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dolan’s lawsuit (embedded in full below) picks up the story there:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>19. … [A]t just before 8:00pm, HUAN KUANG was walking home in San Francisco with her two children, ANTHONY LIU, who was 5 years old, and SOFIA LIU, who was 6 years old.\u003cbr>\n20. They approached the intersection of Polk Street and Ellis Street. When the light was green for them to walk, they began to cross Polk Street within the crosswalk.\u003cbr>\n21. As they were in the cross-walk, with the signal green for them to walk, a vehicle driven by Defendant SYED MUZZAFAR turned right from Ellis Street and collided with HUAN KUANG, ANTHONY LIU and SOFIA LIU.\u003cbr>\n22. The collision caused the wrongful death of SOFIA LIU, and caused serious and significant physical and mental injuries to the other Plaintiffs in this action.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>Muzaffar was arrested \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2014/01/02/122446/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After the accident, Uber quickly acknowledged that “a partner” had been involved in the accident and was equally quick to say that the partner wasn’t working for the service when he struck the pedestrians, a statement intended to distance the company from liability. But Muzaffar was logged on to the Uber app and awaiting another customer, his attorney says, meaning that in essence he was engaged in company business and should be covered by the company’s $1 million liability insurance policy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dolan contends in the suit filed today that Muzaffar was not only logged on to the app at the time of the accident, but was “viewing, monitoring and/or interacting with his wireless communications device/smartphone/GPS at or near the time of the collision.” The complaint alleges that Uber’s app requires drivers to violate the California law that seeks to address distracted driving by banning the manual operation of mobile phones, GPS devices and the like.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The suit also takes on Uber’s suggestion that it has no liability because Muzaffar was not in active service at the time he struck Sophia Liu. The complaint notes that, like any other startup, the company’s business model depends on attracting more users. To be able to deliver on its promise of prompt service, the suit say, the company needs a “significant number” of drivers available to provide rides. “Therefore,” the suit says, “regardless of whether a DRIVER actually has a USER in their car, is on the way to a USER who has engaged the DRIVER through the APP, or simply is logged on to the APP as an available DRIVER, UBER, and/or RASIER LLC and/or RAISER-CA LLC and/or Does 1-10 and 21-30 derives an economic benefit from having DRIVERS registered on the service.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dolan \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2014/01/15/watch-jahi-mcmath-lawyer-discusses-case/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">also represents the family of Jahi McMath\u003c/a>, the brain-dead Oakland teenager who last month went to court to fight a hospital’s attempt to remove her from a ventilator.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here’s the lawsuit in a version uploaded by The New York Times:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"doc_13342\" src=\"//www.scribd.com/embeds/202550537/content?start_page=1&view_mode=scroll&show_recommendations=true\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" width=\"100%\" height=\"600\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Reach Dan Brekke at \u003ca href=\"mailto:dbrekke@kqed.org\">dbrekke@kqed.org\u003c/a> or (415) 553-2176.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"disqusTitle": "How Many Ride-Share Drivers Are Hiding Status From Insurers?",
"title": "How Many Ride-Share Drivers Are Hiding Status From Insurers?",
"headTitle": "News Fix | KQED News",
"content": "\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_118115\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-118115\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/11/lyft.jpg\" alt=\"Two agents from the same insurance company gave TNC driver different answers on whether they could provide coverage. (Deborah Svoboda/KQED)\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A Lyft vehicle on the streets of San Francisco. (Deborah Svoboda/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 4.6875em;float: left;line-height: 0.733em;padding: 0.05em 0.1em 0 0;font-family: times, serif, georgia\">I\u003c/span>n November we reported on the \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2013/11/14/who-pays-when-ride-share-driver-crashes\" target=\"_blank\">widespread confusion over insurance\u003c/a> for ride-share drivers who work for companies such as Lyft, Sidecar and UberX. These companies use smartphone apps to connect ordinary car owners with those seeking a ride. The growing industry has \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2013/11/07/taxis-lyft-ride-service-war-on-streets-of-san-francisco\" target=\"_blank\">given the taxi industry fits\u003c/a>, siphoning off both customers and drivers. In San Francisco, where it has long been notoriously hard to find a cab, the transportation network companies, or TNCs for short, have stepped in to fill the gap.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One downside for both passengers and riders, however, is uncertainty over insurance coverage if a TNC driver gets into an accident, as several have in the past few weeks. Here's what we found:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Ride-service companies like Lyft and Sidecar say drivers’ personal insurance policies will cover some claims. But the insurance industry says the policies won’t provide any coverage.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>The insurance industry says ride-service drivers will have to buy commercial insurance to be covered when they’re driving for hire and maybe even when they’re not.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>At least some ride-service drivers are keeping their status secret from their insurance companies because they’re afraid of losing coverage.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>These issues might take on increasing urgency as more and more drivers sign up and accidents occur. A \u003ca href=\"http://blogs.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/2014/01/elderly_pedestrian_hit_by_car.php\" target=\"_blank\">Lyft driver was involved in an accident\u003c/a> in San Francisco on Friday, and an UberX driver \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2014/01/02/122446/\" target=\"_blank\">struck and killed a 6-year-old girl\u003c/a> on New Year's Eve.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[contextly_sidebar id=\"bc1da10c030fd708c761553593624a03\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One question we posed in the past: \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2013/11/14/can-lyft-uberx-drivers-lose-their-insurance\" target=\"_blank\">Are ride-service drivers at risk of losing their insurance?\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last week on the Lyft Lounge, a Facebook meeting area for drivers, one member posted a cancellation notice she received from Geico. The termination was for \"commercial use of your 2012 Toyota Prius.\" The posting has sparked a long online discussion among Lyft drivers. Wrote one fellow Lyft driver in response:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"No one, I mean no one told me my insurance would have a problem with it. What's Lyft's response to the fact that serving for them may end up with us losing insurance and possibly our livelihood?\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last year, journalist Josh Wolf, \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfbg.com/2013/08/06/driven-take-risks\" target=\"_blank\">writing for the San Francisco Bay Guardian\u003c/a>, reported on a similar cancellation of a Lyft driver's insurance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lyft has not gotten back to us with a response.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Keeping TNC Status a Secret\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Because of the fear over such cancellations, at least some ride-service drivers have kept their status a secret from their insurance companies. Several Lyft drivers we spoke to previously said they did not want their names used for this reason.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I have heard about people being denied coverage because it was discovered they were driving for Lyft, and therefore their personal insurance policy would not be renewed, or canceled,\" Lyft driver Dan told us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Said another driver: \"I don’t think I should let my insurance company know because I’ll probably get dropped.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And another: “I figure the less they know the better.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I spoke Monday to yet another Lyft driver about the issue, and again he would talk only on the condition of anonymity out of fear of having his insurance canceled. This driver said he noted one bit of advice on the Lyft Lounge recently: If you get into an accident, end your ride immediately and turn off your app, so you cannot be identified as a ride-service driver.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignleft\">'No one, I mean no one told me my insurance would have a problem with it.'\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>He also said he displays the famous pink mustache that identifies Lyft vehicles only when picking up a passenger, then throws it in the back seat, against both Lyft rules and state regulations. He does this to lessen the risk of being identified as a TNC driver and also because he does not want to get \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2013/11/07/taxis-lyft-ride-service-war-on-streets-of-san-francisco\" target=\"_blank\">hassled by taxi drivers\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There does seem to be a distinct feeling among some TNC drivers that it is bad practice to go public with your professional driver status. On the Reddit Uber Drivers subgroup, someone recently put up a post titled: \"\u003ca href=\"http://www.reddit.com/r/uberdrivers/comments/1v0lwd/do_not_mention_your_work_as_an_uber_driver_on_any/\" target=\"_blank\">Do not mention your work as an Uber Driver on any social media. Good way to get coverage denied in the case of an accident\u003c/a>.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Can You Get Insurance for TNC Work?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under \u003ca href=\"http://docs.cpuc.ca.gov/PublishedDocs/Published/G000/M077/K192/77192335.PDF\" target=\"_blank\">rules adopted last September\u003c/a>, the California Public Utilities Commission requires ride-service companies to carry at least $1 million in liability insurance for their drivers. But it remains unclear just when that insurance is in effect.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Graham Archer, the attorney for Syed Muzaffar, the UberX driver involved in the fatal accident on New Year’s Eve, says his client had driven to San Francisco with the express intent of serving UberX users and had already completed one trip.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But although Muzaffar was logged in and awaiting another customer, he wasn’t on a call at the moment of the accident, so UberX does not consider him covered under its policy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The companies' commercial insurance won't cover the personal use of a TNC vehicle — for instance, when a driver is running personal errands or going on a road trip. There is a real question as to whether ride-service drivers can obtain personal insurance if they tell insurance companies the true nature of their intended use of the vehicle. During my reporting last year, I contacted the American Automobile Association and Allstate to see if they’d insure me for the personal use of my car if I also wanted to use it for transporting paying passengers as a TNC. Both said they wouldn't.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If they discover that your car’s being used that way, then that’s going to raise the red flag for any claim,” an Allstate broker told me. “Tracking if accidents have occurred involving such vehicles is difficult, as the insurer will not always have the knowledge that the passenger paid for transport.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The recent experiences of two taxi drivers who wanted to switch to UberX also shows how hard it is for TNC drivers to get insurance coverage. Each uses Uber Taxi, a service that connects passengers with regular cabs. Each said they considered driving for UberX after learning Uber offers financing for that service's drivers to buy new vehicles. But each said their plans hit a roadblock when they found they couldn't get insurance for the new cars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of those drivers was John Han, who drives for Yellow Cab in San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I couldn't find anybody who would insure an UberX vehicle,\" he says. \"When I talked to my personal insurance company, I was trying to be very honest. I said I had just been approved for a car loan but wanted to work for UberX. They said they can’t insure that.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Han says he was referred to a company that provides limousine insurance, but the broker said she couldn't find anyone to cover an UberX vehicle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"You can’t really insure a car as both a personal vehicle and commercial at the same time,\" says Han, who has written about taxi issues for his own blog. \"Someone might create that kind of package. But it doesn't exist now. The insurance industry is under no obligation to insure something just because the CPUC says it’s OK.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The only way I can do UberX would be to lie to my insurance company. I didn't want to do it that way.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignleft\">'You can see my dilemma. It seems to me the only way to comply with Uber by getting personal insurance would be to misrepresent my use of the vehicle.'\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>Bill Clark drives for Luxor Cab and was also ready to try driving for UberX. He says he was part of a group of about 25 cab drivers that Uber was encouraging to convert to its ride-service platform. He says he was turned down for insurance when he tried to buy a new car for his planned UberX work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I went to Geico, filled out an application and told them I was going to transport people,\" he says. \"The application was declined as 'undesirable.'\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like Han, he then tried to get commercial insurance, going through a broker, and couldn't find anyone to insure a TNC vehicle. \"They had never heard of TNCs,\" he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>No Answer to Request for Advice\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Clark then emailed the following to a contact at Uber complaining that he couldn't obtain insurance:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>I would like to discuss some concerns that have come up in researching the insurance for TNCs. According to the law the requirements to operate a TNC vehicle are: The California PUC requires personal insurance from the driver and excess liability insurance from the TNC (UBER). However when I applied for personal insurance from Geico and I truthfully represented the use of the vehicle, they declined, stating that my use was commercial. It also seems they do not offer the type of commercial insurance I would need.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can see my dilemma. It seems to me the only way to comply with Uber by getting personal insurance would be to misrepresent my use of the vehicle, which I do not feel comfortable with. My conclusion from this indicates that if there were claims against a TNC driver and the insurance company found out that the true use of the vehicle was falsified, they would deny coverage.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>The Uber rep told Clark he would see what he could do. Clark then wrote a followup email saying he was still excited about working for Uber, but that the insurance matter needed to be resolved.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He says he never got any answers and he now assumes the other cab drivers in his group who obtained insurance for TNC work told insurance companies their new cars were for personal use.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Musing about his quest to leave the taxi business, Clark says, \"I could get a brand-new Prius, drive any time I wanted to, and just make money. That’s like a dream; too good to be true. In fact, it was too good to be true. You can’t get insurance on them.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Obviously, many people are obtaining insurance on vehicles for TNC use. But it's unclear how many insurers, if any, know about the insured's ride-service work and would balk at coverage if they found out. Almost all personal insurance policies contain an exclusion for commercial use of vehicles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Many insurers don’t know their customers are involved in these kinds of program,\" says Pete Moraga of the Insurance Information Network of California. \"If these drivers aren’t telling their insurers, there’s no way for them to know.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, the California Department of Insurance has \u003ca href=\"http://www.insurance.ca.gov/0250-insurers/0300-insurers/0200-bulletins/bulletin-notices-commiss-opinion/TransNetwkDrvrs.cfm\" target=\"_blank\">issued a warning to TNC drivers\u003c/a> about possible gaps in insurance coverage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I sent Uber a number of questions about insurance, including one asking the company if it could name any personal insurers who were willing to insure a TNC vehicle. The company would not answer any of those questions on the record.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Update Jan 22:\u003c/strong> Uber now tells us it did respond to Clark in a phone conversation. Clark, however, says that while an Uber rep did call him, he merely listened to Clark's concerns, saying he would get back to him with a response. But Clark never heard back with any answers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Update 2: \u003c/strong>Kara Cross, general counsel for the Personal Insurance Federation of California, an industry group made up of State Farm, Farmers', Progressive, Allstate, Liberty Mutual, and Mercury, contacted us with some insurance implications for TNC passengers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cross says that if you are injured as a result of riding in a TNC vehicle, you can draw on the $1 million-per-incident coverage TNCs are required to have, but only if the TNC driver is judged to be at fault. If the other vehicle is judged to be at fault, you will have to rely on that driver's insurance, which will very likely cover a much lower amount than $1 million if it is a private vehicle.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_118115\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-118115\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/11/lyft.jpg\" alt=\"Two agents from the same insurance company gave TNC driver different answers on whether they could provide coverage. (Deborah Svoboda/KQED)\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A Lyft vehicle on the streets of San Francisco. (Deborah Svoboda/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 4.6875em;float: left;line-height: 0.733em;padding: 0.05em 0.1em 0 0;font-family: times, serif, georgia\">I\u003c/span>n November we reported on the \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2013/11/14/who-pays-when-ride-share-driver-crashes\" target=\"_blank\">widespread confusion over insurance\u003c/a> for ride-share drivers who work for companies such as Lyft, Sidecar and UberX. These companies use smartphone apps to connect ordinary car owners with those seeking a ride. The growing industry has \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2013/11/07/taxis-lyft-ride-service-war-on-streets-of-san-francisco\" target=\"_blank\">given the taxi industry fits\u003c/a>, siphoning off both customers and drivers. In San Francisco, where it has long been notoriously hard to find a cab, the transportation network companies, or TNCs for short, have stepped in to fill the gap.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One downside for both passengers and riders, however, is uncertainty over insurance coverage if a TNC driver gets into an accident, as several have in the past few weeks. Here's what we found:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Ride-service companies like Lyft and Sidecar say drivers’ personal insurance policies will cover some claims. But the insurance industry says the policies won’t provide any coverage.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>The insurance industry says ride-service drivers will have to buy commercial insurance to be covered when they’re driving for hire and maybe even when they’re not.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>At least some ride-service drivers are keeping their status secret from their insurance companies because they’re afraid of losing coverage.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>These issues might take on increasing urgency as more and more drivers sign up and accidents occur. A \u003ca href=\"http://blogs.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/2014/01/elderly_pedestrian_hit_by_car.php\" target=\"_blank\">Lyft driver was involved in an accident\u003c/a> in San Francisco on Friday, and an UberX driver \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2014/01/02/122446/\" target=\"_blank\">struck and killed a 6-year-old girl\u003c/a> on New Year's Eve.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One question we posed in the past: \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2013/11/14/can-lyft-uberx-drivers-lose-their-insurance\" target=\"_blank\">Are ride-service drivers at risk of losing their insurance?\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last week on the Lyft Lounge, a Facebook meeting area for drivers, one member posted a cancellation notice she received from Geico. The termination was for \"commercial use of your 2012 Toyota Prius.\" The posting has sparked a long online discussion among Lyft drivers. Wrote one fellow Lyft driver in response:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"No one, I mean no one told me my insurance would have a problem with it. What's Lyft's response to the fact that serving for them may end up with us losing insurance and possibly our livelihood?\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last year, journalist Josh Wolf, \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfbg.com/2013/08/06/driven-take-risks\" target=\"_blank\">writing for the San Francisco Bay Guardian\u003c/a>, reported on a similar cancellation of a Lyft driver's insurance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lyft has not gotten back to us with a response.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Keeping TNC Status a Secret\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Because of the fear over such cancellations, at least some ride-service drivers have kept their status a secret from their insurance companies. Several Lyft drivers we spoke to previously said they did not want their names used for this reason.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I have heard about people being denied coverage because it was discovered they were driving for Lyft, and therefore their personal insurance policy would not be renewed, or canceled,\" Lyft driver Dan told us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Said another driver: \"I don’t think I should let my insurance company know because I’ll probably get dropped.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And another: “I figure the less they know the better.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I spoke Monday to yet another Lyft driver about the issue, and again he would talk only on the condition of anonymity out of fear of having his insurance canceled. This driver said he noted one bit of advice on the Lyft Lounge recently: If you get into an accident, end your ride immediately and turn off your app, so you cannot be identified as a ride-service driver.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignleft\">'No one, I mean no one told me my insurance would have a problem with it.'\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>He also said he displays the famous pink mustache that identifies Lyft vehicles only when picking up a passenger, then throws it in the back seat, against both Lyft rules and state regulations. He does this to lessen the risk of being identified as a TNC driver and also because he does not want to get \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2013/11/07/taxis-lyft-ride-service-war-on-streets-of-san-francisco\" target=\"_blank\">hassled by taxi drivers\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There does seem to be a distinct feeling among some TNC drivers that it is bad practice to go public with your professional driver status. On the Reddit Uber Drivers subgroup, someone recently put up a post titled: \"\u003ca href=\"http://www.reddit.com/r/uberdrivers/comments/1v0lwd/do_not_mention_your_work_as_an_uber_driver_on_any/\" target=\"_blank\">Do not mention your work as an Uber Driver on any social media. Good way to get coverage denied in the case of an accident\u003c/a>.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Can You Get Insurance for TNC Work?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under \u003ca href=\"http://docs.cpuc.ca.gov/PublishedDocs/Published/G000/M077/K192/77192335.PDF\" target=\"_blank\">rules adopted last September\u003c/a>, the California Public Utilities Commission requires ride-service companies to carry at least $1 million in liability insurance for their drivers. But it remains unclear just when that insurance is in effect.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Graham Archer, the attorney for Syed Muzaffar, the UberX driver involved in the fatal accident on New Year’s Eve, says his client had driven to San Francisco with the express intent of serving UberX users and had already completed one trip.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But although Muzaffar was logged in and awaiting another customer, he wasn’t on a call at the moment of the accident, so UberX does not consider him covered under its policy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The companies' commercial insurance won't cover the personal use of a TNC vehicle — for instance, when a driver is running personal errands or going on a road trip. There is a real question as to whether ride-service drivers can obtain personal insurance if they tell insurance companies the true nature of their intended use of the vehicle. During my reporting last year, I contacted the American Automobile Association and Allstate to see if they’d insure me for the personal use of my car if I also wanted to use it for transporting paying passengers as a TNC. Both said they wouldn't.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If they discover that your car’s being used that way, then that’s going to raise the red flag for any claim,” an Allstate broker told me. “Tracking if accidents have occurred involving such vehicles is difficult, as the insurer will not always have the knowledge that the passenger paid for transport.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The recent experiences of two taxi drivers who wanted to switch to UberX also shows how hard it is for TNC drivers to get insurance coverage. Each uses Uber Taxi, a service that connects passengers with regular cabs. Each said they considered driving for UberX after learning Uber offers financing for that service's drivers to buy new vehicles. But each said their plans hit a roadblock when they found they couldn't get insurance for the new cars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of those drivers was John Han, who drives for Yellow Cab in San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I couldn't find anybody who would insure an UberX vehicle,\" he says. \"When I talked to my personal insurance company, I was trying to be very honest. I said I had just been approved for a car loan but wanted to work for UberX. They said they can’t insure that.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Han says he was referred to a company that provides limousine insurance, but the broker said she couldn't find anyone to cover an UberX vehicle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"You can’t really insure a car as both a personal vehicle and commercial at the same time,\" says Han, who has written about taxi issues for his own blog. \"Someone might create that kind of package. But it doesn't exist now. The insurance industry is under no obligation to insure something just because the CPUC says it’s OK.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The only way I can do UberX would be to lie to my insurance company. I didn't want to do it that way.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignleft\">'You can see my dilemma. It seems to me the only way to comply with Uber by getting personal insurance would be to misrepresent my use of the vehicle.'\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>Bill Clark drives for Luxor Cab and was also ready to try driving for UberX. He says he was part of a group of about 25 cab drivers that Uber was encouraging to convert to its ride-service platform. He says he was turned down for insurance when he tried to buy a new car for his planned UberX work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I went to Geico, filled out an application and told them I was going to transport people,\" he says. \"The application was declined as 'undesirable.'\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like Han, he then tried to get commercial insurance, going through a broker, and couldn't find anyone to insure a TNC vehicle. \"They had never heard of TNCs,\" he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>No Answer to Request for Advice\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Clark then emailed the following to a contact at Uber complaining that he couldn't obtain insurance:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>I would like to discuss some concerns that have come up in researching the insurance for TNCs. According to the law the requirements to operate a TNC vehicle are: The California PUC requires personal insurance from the driver and excess liability insurance from the TNC (UBER). However when I applied for personal insurance from Geico and I truthfully represented the use of the vehicle, they declined, stating that my use was commercial. It also seems they do not offer the type of commercial insurance I would need.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can see my dilemma. It seems to me the only way to comply with Uber by getting personal insurance would be to misrepresent my use of the vehicle, which I do not feel comfortable with. My conclusion from this indicates that if there were claims against a TNC driver and the insurance company found out that the true use of the vehicle was falsified, they would deny coverage.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>The Uber rep told Clark he would see what he could do. Clark then wrote a followup email saying he was still excited about working for Uber, but that the insurance matter needed to be resolved.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He says he never got any answers and he now assumes the other cab drivers in his group who obtained insurance for TNC work told insurance companies their new cars were for personal use.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Musing about his quest to leave the taxi business, Clark says, \"I could get a brand-new Prius, drive any time I wanted to, and just make money. That’s like a dream; too good to be true. In fact, it was too good to be true. You can’t get insurance on them.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Obviously, many people are obtaining insurance on vehicles for TNC use. But it's unclear how many insurers, if any, know about the insured's ride-service work and would balk at coverage if they found out. Almost all personal insurance policies contain an exclusion for commercial use of vehicles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Many insurers don’t know their customers are involved in these kinds of program,\" says Pete Moraga of the Insurance Information Network of California. \"If these drivers aren’t telling their insurers, there’s no way for them to know.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, the California Department of Insurance has \u003ca href=\"http://www.insurance.ca.gov/0250-insurers/0300-insurers/0200-bulletins/bulletin-notices-commiss-opinion/TransNetwkDrvrs.cfm\" target=\"_blank\">issued a warning to TNC drivers\u003c/a> about possible gaps in insurance coverage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I sent Uber a number of questions about insurance, including one asking the company if it could name any personal insurers who were willing to insure a TNC vehicle. The company would not answer any of those questions on the record.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Update Jan 22:\u003c/strong> Uber now tells us it did respond to Clark in a phone conversation. Clark, however, says that while an Uber rep did call him, he merely listened to Clark's concerns, saying he would get back to him with a response. But Clark never heard back with any answers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Update 2: \u003c/strong>Kara Cross, general counsel for the Personal Insurance Federation of California, an industry group made up of State Farm, Farmers', Progressive, Allstate, Liberty Mutual, and Mercury, contacted us with some insurance implications for TNC passengers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cross says that if you are injured as a result of riding in a TNC vehicle, you can draw on the $1 million-per-incident coverage TNCs are required to have, but only if the TNC driver is judged to be at fault. If the other vehicle is judged to be at fault, you will have to rely on that driver's insurance, which will very likely cover a much lower amount than $1 million if it is a private vehicle.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"disqusTitle": "Taxi Drivers Want San Francisco to Crack Down on 'Ride Share' Insurance ",
"title": "Taxi Drivers Want San Francisco to Crack Down on 'Ride Share' Insurance ",
"headTitle": "News Fix | KQED News",
"content": "\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_122545\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2014/01/02/news-pix-tenderloin-pedestrian-memorial-anti-gentrification-protest-and-new-years-traditions/n-of-polk-and-ellis-streets-2/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-122545\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-122545\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/01/ped-memorial2-640x450.jpg\" alt=\"A memorial at the intersection of Polk and Ellis streets in San Francisco, where a 6-year-old girl was struck by a car and killed on New Year’s Eve. (Sara Bloomberg/KQED)\" width=\"640\" height=\"450\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A memorial at the intersection of Polk and Ellis streets in San Francisco, where a 6-year-old girl was struck by a car and killed on New Year’s Eve. (Sara Bloomberg/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>We \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2014/01/02/122446/\" target=\"_blank\">told you last week \u003c/a>about the repercussions from a New Year's Eve tragedy in which a driver for smartphone ride service UberX struck a mother and two children in a San Francisco crosswalk. One of the children, Sophia Liu, 6, was killed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[contextly_sidebar id=\"d8f086c14fb86d9f3f640b0a4d443e29\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>UberX acknowledged the driver, whom police identified as Syed Muzzafar of Union City, was a \"partner,\" though it said he was not making a trip for the company at the time of the incident. Police arrested Muzzafar on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter, and he was later released after posting bail.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The death highlighted an issue that both taxi companies and their drivers have been raising as the ride services — including Lyft, Sidecar, UberX and others — become more popular. Namely: Are the services adequately insured?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Later today, we're going to hear that question asked very loudly at City Hall. Members of the \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfcda.org/\" target=\"_blank\">San Francisco Cab Drivers Association\u003c/a> promise to appear at \u003ca href=\"http://sf-police.org/index.aspx?page=4444\" target=\"_blank\">this evening's meeting of the Police Commission\u003c/a> to demand the city enforce its insurance requirements on drivers and vehicles operating as part of the smartphone ride services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The California Public Utility Commission requires the ride services, which it has dubbed transportation network companies(TNCs), to carry policies that provide $1 million in liability coverage per incident. But as KQED's \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2013/11/14/who-pays-when-ride-share-driver-crashes\" target=\"_blank\">Jon Brooks has reported\u003c/a>, a lot is unknown about the TNC insurance policies. For instance:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>The TNCs provide \"excess\" instead of \"primary\" insurance coverage. The policies are designed to pay for claims uncovered by other insurance -- say, a driver's personal auto insurance policy.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>The TNCs have said drivers' personal insurance policies will cover some claims if there's an accident; the insurance industry says those policies won't provide any coverage.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>The insurance industry says ride-service drivers will have to buy commercial insurance to be covered when they're driving for hire and maybe even when they're not.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>As a result of the uncertainty surrounding the insurance policies, some TNC drivers say they keep their status secret from their insurers. The taxi industry says the situation leaves the public unprotected. Barry Korengold, president of the cab drivers association, said in a statement today, \"If this practice is knowingly allowed to continue, the city of San Francisco must bear financial responsibility for accidents such as the tragedy that occurred this past New Year's Eve.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For their part, the ride-service companies say their insurance is adequate and that drivers and passengers are protected.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"description": "After New Year's Eve fatality involving a 'ride share' driver, taxi operators want city to take action. ",
"title": "Taxi Drivers Want San Francisco to Crack Down on 'Ride Share' Insurance | KQED",
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"headline": "Taxi Drivers Want San Francisco to Crack Down on 'Ride Share' Insurance ",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_122545\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2014/01/02/news-pix-tenderloin-pedestrian-memorial-anti-gentrification-protest-and-new-years-traditions/n-of-polk-and-ellis-streets-2/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-122545\">\u003cimg class=\"size-medium wp-image-122545\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/01/ped-memorial2-640x450.jpg\" alt=\"A memorial at the intersection of Polk and Ellis streets in San Francisco, where a 6-year-old girl was struck by a car and killed on New Year’s Eve. (Sara Bloomberg/KQED)\" width=\"640\" height=\"450\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A memorial at the intersection of Polk and Ellis streets in San Francisco, where a 6-year-old girl was struck by a car and killed on New Year’s Eve. (Sara Bloomberg/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>We \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2014/01/02/122446/\" target=\"_blank\">told you last week \u003c/a>about the repercussions from a New Year's Eve tragedy in which a driver for smartphone ride service UberX struck a mother and two children in a San Francisco crosswalk. One of the children, Sophia Liu, 6, was killed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>UberX acknowledged the driver, whom police identified as Syed Muzzafar of Union City, was a \"partner,\" though it said he was not making a trip for the company at the time of the incident. Police arrested Muzzafar on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter, and he was later released after posting bail.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The death highlighted an issue that both taxi companies and their drivers have been raising as the ride services — including Lyft, Sidecar, UberX and others — become more popular. Namely: Are the services adequately insured?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Later today, we're going to hear that question asked very loudly at City Hall. Members of the \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfcda.org/\" target=\"_blank\">San Francisco Cab Drivers Association\u003c/a> promise to appear at \u003ca href=\"http://sf-police.org/index.aspx?page=4444\" target=\"_blank\">this evening's meeting of the Police Commission\u003c/a> to demand the city enforce its insurance requirements on drivers and vehicles operating as part of the smartphone ride services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The California Public Utility Commission requires the ride services, which it has dubbed transportation network companies(TNCs), to carry policies that provide $1 million in liability coverage per incident. But as KQED's \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2013/11/14/who-pays-when-ride-share-driver-crashes\" target=\"_blank\">Jon Brooks has reported\u003c/a>, a lot is unknown about the TNC insurance policies. For instance:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>The TNCs provide \"excess\" instead of \"primary\" insurance coverage. The policies are designed to pay for claims uncovered by other insurance -- say, a driver's personal auto insurance policy.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>The TNCs have said drivers' personal insurance policies will cover some claims if there's an accident; the insurance industry says those policies won't provide any coverage.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>The insurance industry says ride-service drivers will have to buy commercial insurance to be covered when they're driving for hire and maybe even when they're not.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>As a result of the uncertainty surrounding the insurance policies, some TNC drivers say they keep their status secret from their insurers. The taxi industry says the situation leaves the public unprotected. Barry Korengold, president of the cab drivers association, said in a statement today, \"If this practice is knowingly allowed to continue, the city of San Francisco must bear financial responsibility for accidents such as the tragedy that occurred this past New Year's Eve.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For their part, the ride-service companies say their insurance is adequate and that drivers and passengers are protected.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"disqusTitle": "Tip or Bribe? Taxi Drivers Say Illegal Payments to Dispatchers Are Routine",
"title": "Tip or Bribe? Taxi Drivers Say Illegal Payments to Dispatchers Are Routine",
"headTitle": "News Fix | KQED News",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 4.6875em;float: left;line-height: 0.733em;padding: 0.05em 0.1em 0 0;font-family: times, serif, georgia\">B\u003c/span>rad Newsham drove a cab in San Francisco for nearly three decades and says he loved nearly everything about the job from the first day he got behind the wheel: the people, the city's beauty, the independence, the sense of experiencing something new every day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.bradnewsham.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Newsham\u003c/a> quit the business this year because he was down to earning a net income of five bucks an hour. Newsham's experience isn't unique — others in San Francisco's taxicab industry say they know drivers who are only netting $5 to $10 an hour. A big part of the tough economics for drivers has to do with ride-service companies like Sidecar, Uber and Lyft siphoning off business from the traditional cab companies.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"alignright noborder\">\u003cimg src=\"http://u.s.kqed.net/2013/12/18/tip.jpg\" alt=\"Money\">\n\u003ch3>When drivers pay dispatchers, is it a tip? Or a bribe? \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2014/12/13/the-fine-line-between-a-taxi-drivers-tip-and-a-bribe/\" target=\"_blank\">Read more.\u003c/a>\u003c/h3>\n\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>But part of the money problem for the great majority of taxi drivers, those who rent their vehicles, is the way the business is structured. They start out in the hole every day, needing to make $100 or more just to pay the \"gate,\" or rental fee, for a 10-hour shift. They pay gas on top of that, which could easily come to $20 or $30 a shift or more. You can do the math yourself: To clear San Francisco's minimum wage of $10.55 an hour, they've got to bring in something north of $200, and probably significantly more than that, during their 10 hours on the road.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Drivers get no benefits, and may be held responsible for their gate fees when they're too sick to drive. Sometimes they must pay insurance deductibles and they face fines from city taxi regulators when they violate rules.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you wonder how they survive, well, lots of them are just scraping by. Richard Hybels, owner of San Francisco's Metro Cab, says, \"Cab drivers can’t even get their teeth fixed. They’re poor people. It’s not an easy way to make a living by any stretch of the imagination.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If the financial odds against drivers aren't long enough already, they face another daily cost that industry veterans like Newsham alternatively call \"the tip\" or \"the bribe.\" That’s the unofficial, and illegal, five to ten bucks or more that many drivers say they pay cab company dispatchers and gas attendants every shift.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Whoever bribes the dispatcher the most tends to get the best shifts,\" says Newsham. “I’ve been in situations at companies where if you don’t tip, the dispatcher says, 'Nice to see you ... I don’t have any cabs right now ... why don’t you sit on the bench for awhile until I get one?' I have sat there for three hours waiting for him to find me a cab when I have seen people walk in, give him 20 bucks and walk right out. It’s just a fact of life in the cab world.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Longtime San Francisco \u003ca href=\"http://phantomcabdriverphites.blogspot.com/\" target=\"_blank\">cab driver Ed Healy\u003c/a> says the practice is standard throughout the industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"alignleft\">\n\u003ch3>More in KQED's series\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>This is the third part in our series on the risks and benefits to those who sign up with networked ride services like Lyft, Sidecar and UberX, versus those who work for the traditional taxicab industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2013/11/07/taxis-lyft-ride-service-war-on-streets-of-san-francisco\">\u003cstrong>Part One\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> describes the growing tensions between ride services and taxi companies.\u003cstrong>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2013/11/14/who-pays-when-ride-share-driver-crashes\">Part Two\u003c/a>\u003c/strong> examines the insurance risks facing drivers for the ride services.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>\"I once had a dispatcher come out there and I gave him $3 and he threw it back in my face and said, ‘That’s not a tip,'\" says Healy. \"I stopped tipping them completely, and I regularly got cars without any brakes or (that) broke down in various ways. I had one where a huge pipe dropped out of the cab and onto the ground. I had so many breakdowns, and I wondered why I had to wait three hours for somebody to come and tow. So I would say that pretty much enforced tipping is the rule.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>John Han, who drives for Yellow Cab, breaks down his tipping routine: $1 to the gas guy, $5 to the dispatcher in charge of issuing cabs when he goes out and $1 more when he returns to file his paperwork. That's somewhat lower than a lot of drivers, he says. \"Many drivers say $5 going out and $5 coming in to dispatchers and cashiers.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Emil Lawrence, a driver since 1996 who wrote the popular \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/NIGHT-CABBIE-A-lesson-in-Chinese-relations-2805327.php\" target=\"_blank\">Night Cabbie\u003c/a> column in the old San Francisco Examiner and the San Francisco Chronicle, lays out basically the same scenario in terms of pressure to make these payments:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"If you don't want to piss off anybody that can cause you problems, you have to pay it,\" he says. \"The system that’s pervasive is tips and payola before you get your taxi.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lawrence says radio dispatchers will also sometimes demand money for sending lucrative airport calls a driver's way. He says at one company he used to work for, the radio dispatcher had a black book. \"He came up to me ... and said, 'Emil, I looked at my book, you owe me for two airports.'\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Whatever you call it, this kind of payment, voluntary or involuntary, is against the law in San Francisco, and each violation carries a $633 fine for firms that allow it. Perhaps it's not surprising, then, that when you talk to San Francisco taxi companies, virtually all of them say that they don't allow tipping (six of the biggest companies — Yellow, Luxor, DeSoto, Metro, Royal and Town told me tipping is prohibited in their shops; two other companies, Arrow Checker and NationalVeterans, didn't return my calls).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jim Gillespie, general manager at Yellow Cab, said any reports of tipping at the company aren't true. \"It's not happening at Yellow Cab. If that happens I would fire the employees.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Has it ever happened? \"Not to my knowledge,\" he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignleft\">'I have sat there for three hours waiting for him to find me a cab when I have seen people walk in, give him 20 bucks and walk right out.'\u003cbr>\n\u003ccite>—Brad Newsham, cab driver\u003c/cite>\u003cbr>\n\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>Charles Rathbone, assistant manager at Luxor, told me, \"Nobody is forced to tip.\" He says the company has signs up saying tipping isn't allowed. \"Nobody has to tip to get a better shift or cab. The cashiers and the dispatchers know we’d come down on them like a ton of bricks. If you know of somebody who says there is (a tipping requirement) please tell them to come in and see me and I promise no retaliation for complaints. Absolutely.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What about voluntary tipping, which is also prohibited?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"It's the kind of thing that is almost impossible to stop\" he says. \"How do you prevent somebody from passing somebody else a dollar? It’s a very difficult thing to prevent from happening. I’m not going to say categorically that there is no tipping, but it’s certainly not anything the company gets any money from.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe width=\"100%\" height=\"166\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"no\" src=\"https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/125668303&color=ff6600&auto_play=false&show_artwork=true\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Tipping is an Expensive Reality\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dan Hara has little doubt that these payments are a reality in San Francisco cab companies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He's an economist whose firm, Hara Associates, compiled \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfmta.com/sites/default/files/Draft%20SF%20DriverSurvey%2037%20Web%20version04042013.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">a report\u003c/a> last year on the city's taxi industry for the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, or SFMTA. The firm's survey of 621 San Francisco cab drivers found that 61 percent said they always pay daily tips to other company employees. More than half of that group, 55 percent, said they pay those tips because they have to.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Of the companies for which more than 30 drivers were surveyed, the reported tips ranged from an average of $4.47 for a non-Friday or non-Saturday night shift to $8.95 for a Friday or Saturday night shift.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe width=\"640\" height=\"300\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"no\" src=\"https://www.google.com/fusiontables/embedviz?containerId=googft-gviz-canvas&q=select+col0%2C+col1%2C+col2%2C+col3+from+10EWOm6XOitK40qidzUUyuF6ng84o_bUsO5jQnZg+order+by+col2+desc+limit+10&viz=GVIZ&t=COLUMN&uiversion=2&gco_forceIFrame=true&gco_hasLabelsColumn=true&gco_vAxes=%5B%7B%22title%22%3A%22Respondents%22%2C+%22minValue%22%3Anull%2C+%22maxValue%22%3Anull%2C+%22useFormatFromData%22%3Atrue%2C+%22viewWindow%22%3A%7B%22max%22%3Anull%2C+%22min%22%3Anull%7D%2C+%22logScale%22%3Afalse%7D%2C%7B%22useFormatFromData%22%3Atrue%2C+%22viewWindow%22%3A%7B%22max%22%3Anull%2C+%22min%22%3Anull%7D%2C+%22minValue%22%3Anull%2C+%22maxValue%22%3Anull%2C+%22logScale%22%3Afalse%7D%5D&gco_useFirstColumnAsDomain=true&gco_isStacked=true&gco_booleanRole=certainty&gco_hAxis=%7B%22useFormatFromData%22%3Atrue%2C+%22minValue%22%3Anull%2C+%22maxValue%22%3Anull%2C+%22viewWindow%22%3Anull%2C+%22viewWindowMode%22%3Anull%7D&gco_legend=right&gco_title=How+often+do+you+pay+tips+to+dispatchers%2C+gas+attendants+or+other+taxi+companies%3F&gco_fontName=Arial&att=true&width=640&height=300\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tipping can be expensive, the report added, with 21 percent of drivers reporting they gave daily tips of between $10 and $20 and another 8 percent saying the gave more than $20 per shift. The highest tips came from those working lucrative weekend night shifts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Not everyone who drives a cab and tips dispatchers and gas attendants see that as a problem. One longtime driver who asked to remain anonymous recalls a variation on the usual practice of tipping.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We would have to go into a lottery, put our names in a hat, and they’d pull out these numbers, and your number would determine your chances [of getting a cab],\" he says. \"Your chances would be better if you decided to give money to the dispatcher. If you tipped, your chances are much greater to get out.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But this driver says he thinks that kind of tipping is OK.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I think most people realize they should tip at least 10 to 15 percent if they like the service,\" he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignleft\"> 'It's not happening at Yellow Cab. If that happens I would fire the employees.'\u003cbr>\n\u003ccite>— Jim Gillespie, Yellow Cab general manager\u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>Barry Korengold, the president of the San Francisco Cab Drivers Association, says there are worse things happening in the industry right now than pressure to give dispatcher and gas attendants a tip. \"It’s not one of my big issues,\" he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Korengold and one other driver told me that because drivers live in part on tips, it would be hypocritical not to do the same.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Emil Lawrence, for one, says he currently tips because he wants to, but that's only because he owns a cab medallion (which is essentially a license to drive a cab in the city) and has greater leverage. He also said he doesn't blame all cab company employees for taking tips, as they make very little money. \"They have no benefits whatsoever, so this is the way they get their income up.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The Law and How It's Enforced\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When I asked Christiane Hayashi, director of taxis and accessible services for the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, whether drivers tipping taxi company employees was legal, she read from the \u003ca href=\"http://transportation.sanfranciscocode.org/downloads/code-text/II._1105.txt\" target=\"_blank\">San Francisco Transportation Code, Section 1105, sub-section A10,\u003c/a> in effect since 2011.\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>“No Permit Holder or agent of a Permit Holder may accept or solicit gifts and/or gratuities or anything of value from any Driver, other than Gate Fees, Lease Fees, payments for goods actually received, or other payments authorized by this Article. A Permit Holder or agent of a Permit Holder shall issue a receipt for any payment received from a Driver.\"\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>The ordinance covers voluntary payments, too. That means all tipping is illegal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That absolute ban notwithstanding, Hayashi says she's aware tipping is happening and thinks the practice varies widely from company to company.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition, she adds, \"The salary structure set up by the companies relies on tipping — it is my understanding that many taxi company employees receive San Francisco's minimum wage and are required to rely on tips to make an adequate salary. ... So it is a deeply ingrained institutional issue that has proven difficult to root out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In some companies, drivers tip because they genuinely have a relationship with the dispatcher and it’s no big deal,\" Hayashi notes. \"In other companies, it’s definitely more of a culture where you’ve got to do this or else. And the driver who doesn’t tip might find himself having consequences.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_120383\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 320px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2013/12/12/San+Francisco-taxi-bribes-tips/rs7183_taxis_22oct2013_0125_web-hpf/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-120383\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-120383\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/10/RS7183_Taxis_22oct2013_0125_web-hpf.jpg\" alt=\"Taxis in downtown San Francisco. (Sara Bloomberg/KQED)\" width=\"320\" height=\"213\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Taxis in downtown San Francisco. (Sara Bloomberg/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But to do something about those \"consequences,\" Hayashi says, a driver would have to file a formal report with the SFMTA. To date, she says, no one has ever been cited for violating Section 1105, sub-section A10.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The drivers may complain to us, but it’s quite another matter to ask them to sign a declaration and go to an administrative hearing,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Veteran driver Brad Newsham says that kind of reasoning is akin to expecting victims of the system to enforce the law. \"You’re going to blame the cab driver who makes a paltry wage for not taking down the system that has been winked at by every regulator that’s ever been,\" he asks, \"and who has thrown up their hands and says, 'There’s nothing we can do'?\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other drivers say blowing the whistle would be risky. “A driver would be afraid because they’d get fired,\" says Ed Healey, who drives for DeSoto Cab. \"Nobody could survive.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>John Han, a Yellow Cab driver, agrees. “I wouldn’t want to go through that process,\" he says. \"I basically would be going on the record with something that does not look very good for the people who I depend upon to issue me a cab every day.”\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"alignright\">\n\u003ch3>Does Tipping Happen? What the Taxi Companies Say\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Under \u003ca href=\"http://transportation.sanfranciscocode.org/downloads/code-text/II._1105.txt\" target=\"_blank\">a San Francisco ordinance\u003c/a>, the taxi industry practice of requiring or allowing drivers to tip dispatchers or other employees is illegal. We asked major San Francisco cab companies whether tipping takes place in their shops. Here's what they told us:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"http://yellowcabsf.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Yellow Cab\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>: Jim Gillespie, general manager: \"It's not happening at Yellow Cab. If that happens I would fire the employees.\"\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"http://www.luxorcab.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Luxor Cabs\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>: Charles Rathbone, assistant manager: \"Nobody is forced to tip.\" What about voluntary tipping? \"It's the kind of thing that it's almost impossible to stop. ... but it’s certainly not anything the company gets any money from.\"\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"http://www.desotosf.com/\" target=\"_blank\">DeSoto Cab\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>: Hansu Kim, owner: Says compulsory tipping is “almost nonexistent now,” though he acknowledges voluntary tipping continues. \"We have a lot of drivers who don’t tip, so I have to make sure there’s no consequence whether you tip or not. But how do I stop a guy who says, ‘Hey thanks for giving me the orders, here’s five bucks’?\"\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfmta.com/getting-around/take-taxi/taxi-companies/metro-cab\" target=\"_blank\">Metro Cab\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>: Richard Hybels, owner: \"I want it on my headstone: I’ve never taken a penny from a cabdriver as a tip.\"\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfmta.com/getting-around/take-taxi/taxi-companies/royal-taxi\" target=\"_blank\">Royal Taxi\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>: Christopher Sweis, CEO: He says the company's preset schedule for drivers makes tipping unnecessary in terms of being assigned a cab. As for voluntary tipping, he says: \"It's a practice that we can try our best to enforce and ask our dispatchers not to take tips or ask our drivers not to tip the dispatchers. We can't control every single driver. If it's going to happen, it's going to happen.\"\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"http://sftowntaxi.com/\" target=\"_blank\">SF Town Taxi\u003c/a>:\u003c/strong> Jacob Mayzel, manager: \"It doesn't happen with Town Taxi.\"\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"http://www.sfmta.com/vi/getting-around/take-taxi/taxi-companies/arrow-checker-cab\" target=\"_blank\">Arrow Checker\u003c/a>\u003c/strong> Did not respond.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"http://sfnationalcab.sftaxischool.com/\">\u003cstrong>National Veterans Cab\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> Did not respond.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>Luxor driver Jeremiah Cushing says filing a formal complaint would be like asking, \"Who will step forward so [they] can be shot first? Why don’t I just emboss a scarlet T on my chest? I would just be a total outcast.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bucking the System\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cushing's got another solution to the tipping problem, though: Just refuse to do it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Most people do five dollars in, five dollars out,\" he says, citing what a company cashier told him, i.e., tipping $5 both at the beginning and end of their shifts. \"I started doing the math on it. ... At the end of the year, it was a lot of money in my pocket going to the unknown ... I said, 'Screw this, I'm not paying any of these guys. ... Other drivers have told me, 'You’re going to need these cashiers, they’re going to provide you a car.' I said, 'No — I do not need them, they need me.'\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cushing said he hasn't been tipping anyone but the gas guys for more than a year. \"If you ask me why I tip the gas guys, I can't give you a logical answer,\" he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I asked him if there had been any consequences to his one-man rebellion. He said there had been some minor incidents, including one in which he was assigned a spare cab, typically the vehicle in the worst condition on the lot. He refused to drive it and went home, he said, but there were no other repercussions. \"They have such a shortage of drivers now, I don’t get messed with.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ray of Hope for Drivers?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003c/strong>Metro Cab and Green Cab are two taxi outfits drivers routinely mention as prohibiting tipping. When I asked Metro owner Richard Hybels what's behind his policy, he said:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Most of the people who work for me are supporting families, or supporting families in another country. It’s a tough business as it is. I make enough money in the normal parts of the business; I don’t need to squeeze any more out of them. ... I want it on my headstone: I’ve never taken a penny from a cabdriver as a tip.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Former \"Night Cabbie\" columnist Emil Lawrence says many gas-and-gate cab drivers are on the economic margins and that he knows drivers who are living in \u003ca href=\"http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/topics/housing_choice_voucher_program_section_8\" target=\"_blank\">Section 8 housing\u003c/a> and receiving food stamps.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"They pay the cab company nonstop, they pay everybody tips nonstop,\" Lawrence says. \"They don't even make minimum wage on some nights, and if they don't pay, they don't have gas, they don't have a job the next day. ... What they make after paying the SFMTA and cab companies, you couldn't make a decent living in downtown Baghdad today.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I've been in that situation,\" he says. \"It's like quicksand.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the balance of power between cab drivers and cab companies may be starting to tilt in the drivers' favor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>SFMTA consultant Dan Hara says a downturn in the cab business brought about by the rise of ride-service companies has at least temporarily reduced the pressure to tip, because cab companies are having problems filling shifts, a reality confirmed by others in the industry. (Though I recently asked three different drivers during cab rides if they currently tipped taxi company employees, and they all said they did.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While many cab drivers are irate about Sidecar, Lyft and Uber \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2013/11/07/taxis-lyft-ride-service-war-on-streets-of-san-francisco\" target=\"_blank\">cutting into their business\u003c/a>, many others are quitting the cab business to drive with what regulators call \"transportation network companies (TNCs)\" — the very ride-service companies that compete with their cabs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Before TNCs, some drivers tipped extensively to get out faster in nicer cars,\" says John Han. \"Now, I'm guessing some of those drivers have gone to TNCs.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Indeed, one of my recent cab drivers cited the requirement to tip as a major reason he was quitting to go work for Uber. (\"If you get an airport call, the guys ask you for money after and if you don't give you won't get another airport call,\" he said.)\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignleft\"> 'The drivers may complain to us but it’s quite another matter to ask them to sign a declaration...'\u003cbr>\n\u003ccite>— Christiane Hayashi, Director of Taxis at SFMTA\u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>I kept asking the drivers if the Lyfts and Sidecars of the world could actually end up \u003cem>helping\u003c/em> them, as they potentially give drivers more leverage in dealing with the cab companies. John Han, for instance, says Yellow recently lowered its Saturday night gate fee for drivers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some scoffed at the notion that anything good could result from the competition or that they would ever switch to a TNC, citing the \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2013/11/14/who-pays-when-ride-share-driver-crashes\" target=\"_blank\">insurance risk\u003c/a>, among other reasons. But not everyone felt that way. Brad Newsham said if he were giving advice to a young would-be driver today, he'd tell them to skip traditional taxis and go to work for a ride-service company.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Emil Lawrence told me there might be something for the average driver to gain from going to work for a ride-service firm.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I know drivers right now who work for cab companies at the same time they work for Uber,\" he says. \"Radio calls are down probably 70 percent now. They’re down on Friday even more. You’re talking about 10-15 minutes sometimes with no call at all. It’s all on the apps. If you’re a cab driver with a taxi, at the same time you have an Uber setup, that may be the new industry. But you can (also) do that same business in your own car at your own hours without paying the taxi company one dime.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"margin: 12px auto 6px auto;font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-style: normal;font-variant: normal;font-weight: normal;font-size: 14px;line-height: normal\">\u003ca style=\"text-decoration: underline\" title=\"View SF Taxi Driver Survey on Scribd\" href=\"http://www.scribd.com/doc/192372483/SF-Taxi-Driver-Survey\">SF Taxi Driver Survey\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe id=\"doc_39345\" src=\"//www.scribd.com/embeds/192372483/content?start_page=1&view_mode=scroll&show_recommendations=true\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" width=\"100%\" height=\"600\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED's Lisa Pickoff-White, Bryan Goebel and Katrina Schwartz contributed reporting to this article.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 4.6875em;float: left;line-height: 0.733em;padding: 0.05em 0.1em 0 0;font-family: times, serif, georgia\">B\u003c/span>rad Newsham drove a cab in San Francisco for nearly three decades and says he loved nearly everything about the job from the first day he got behind the wheel: the people, the city's beauty, the independence, the sense of experiencing something new every day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.bradnewsham.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Newsham\u003c/a> quit the business this year because he was down to earning a net income of five bucks an hour. Newsham's experience isn't unique — others in San Francisco's taxicab industry say they know drivers who are only netting $5 to $10 an hour. A big part of the tough economics for drivers has to do with ride-service companies like Sidecar, Uber and Lyft siphoning off business from the traditional cab companies.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"alignright noborder\">\u003cimg src=\"http://u.s.kqed.net/2013/12/18/tip.jpg\" alt=\"Money\">\n\u003ch3>When drivers pay dispatchers, is it a tip? Or a bribe? \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2014/12/13/the-fine-line-between-a-taxi-drivers-tip-and-a-bribe/\" target=\"_blank\">Read more.\u003c/a>\u003c/h3>\n\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>But part of the money problem for the great majority of taxi drivers, those who rent their vehicles, is the way the business is structured. They start out in the hole every day, needing to make $100 or more just to pay the \"gate,\" or rental fee, for a 10-hour shift. They pay gas on top of that, which could easily come to $20 or $30 a shift or more. You can do the math yourself: To clear San Francisco's minimum wage of $10.55 an hour, they've got to bring in something north of $200, and probably significantly more than that, during their 10 hours on the road.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Drivers get no benefits, and may be held responsible for their gate fees when they're too sick to drive. Sometimes they must pay insurance deductibles and they face fines from city taxi regulators when they violate rules.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you wonder how they survive, well, lots of them are just scraping by. Richard Hybels, owner of San Francisco's Metro Cab, says, \"Cab drivers can’t even get their teeth fixed. They’re poor people. It’s not an easy way to make a living by any stretch of the imagination.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If the financial odds against drivers aren't long enough already, they face another daily cost that industry veterans like Newsham alternatively call \"the tip\" or \"the bribe.\" That’s the unofficial, and illegal, five to ten bucks or more that many drivers say they pay cab company dispatchers and gas attendants every shift.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Whoever bribes the dispatcher the most tends to get the best shifts,\" says Newsham. “I’ve been in situations at companies where if you don’t tip, the dispatcher says, 'Nice to see you ... I don’t have any cabs right now ... why don’t you sit on the bench for awhile until I get one?' I have sat there for three hours waiting for him to find me a cab when I have seen people walk in, give him 20 bucks and walk right out. It’s just a fact of life in the cab world.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Longtime San Francisco \u003ca href=\"http://phantomcabdriverphites.blogspot.com/\" target=\"_blank\">cab driver Ed Healy\u003c/a> says the practice is standard throughout the industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"alignleft\">\n\u003ch3>More in KQED's series\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>This is the third part in our series on the risks and benefits to those who sign up with networked ride services like Lyft, Sidecar and UberX, versus those who work for the traditional taxicab industry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2013/11/07/taxis-lyft-ride-service-war-on-streets-of-san-francisco\">\u003cstrong>Part One\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> describes the growing tensions between ride services and taxi companies.\u003cstrong>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2013/11/14/who-pays-when-ride-share-driver-crashes\">Part Two\u003c/a>\u003c/strong> examines the insurance risks facing drivers for the ride services.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>\"I once had a dispatcher come out there and I gave him $3 and he threw it back in my face and said, ‘That’s not a tip,'\" says Healy. \"I stopped tipping them completely, and I regularly got cars without any brakes or (that) broke down in various ways. I had one where a huge pipe dropped out of the cab and onto the ground. I had so many breakdowns, and I wondered why I had to wait three hours for somebody to come and tow. So I would say that pretty much enforced tipping is the rule.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>John Han, who drives for Yellow Cab, breaks down his tipping routine: $1 to the gas guy, $5 to the dispatcher in charge of issuing cabs when he goes out and $1 more when he returns to file his paperwork. That's somewhat lower than a lot of drivers, he says. \"Many drivers say $5 going out and $5 coming in to dispatchers and cashiers.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Emil Lawrence, a driver since 1996 who wrote the popular \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/NIGHT-CABBIE-A-lesson-in-Chinese-relations-2805327.php\" target=\"_blank\">Night Cabbie\u003c/a> column in the old San Francisco Examiner and the San Francisco Chronicle, lays out basically the same scenario in terms of pressure to make these payments:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"If you don't want to piss off anybody that can cause you problems, you have to pay it,\" he says. \"The system that’s pervasive is tips and payola before you get your taxi.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lawrence says radio dispatchers will also sometimes demand money for sending lucrative airport calls a driver's way. He says at one company he used to work for, the radio dispatcher had a black book. \"He came up to me ... and said, 'Emil, I looked at my book, you owe me for two airports.'\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Whatever you call it, this kind of payment, voluntary or involuntary, is against the law in San Francisco, and each violation carries a $633 fine for firms that allow it. Perhaps it's not surprising, then, that when you talk to San Francisco taxi companies, virtually all of them say that they don't allow tipping (six of the biggest companies — Yellow, Luxor, DeSoto, Metro, Royal and Town told me tipping is prohibited in their shops; two other companies, Arrow Checker and NationalVeterans, didn't return my calls).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jim Gillespie, general manager at Yellow Cab, said any reports of tipping at the company aren't true. \"It's not happening at Yellow Cab. If that happens I would fire the employees.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Has it ever happened? \"Not to my knowledge,\" he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignleft\">'I have sat there for three hours waiting for him to find me a cab when I have seen people walk in, give him 20 bucks and walk right out.'\u003cbr>\n\u003ccite>—Brad Newsham, cab driver\u003c/cite>\u003cbr>\n\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>Charles Rathbone, assistant manager at Luxor, told me, \"Nobody is forced to tip.\" He says the company has signs up saying tipping isn't allowed. \"Nobody has to tip to get a better shift or cab. The cashiers and the dispatchers know we’d come down on them like a ton of bricks. If you know of somebody who says there is (a tipping requirement) please tell them to come in and see me and I promise no retaliation for complaints. Absolutely.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What about voluntary tipping, which is also prohibited?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"It's the kind of thing that is almost impossible to stop\" he says. \"How do you prevent somebody from passing somebody else a dollar? It’s a very difficult thing to prevent from happening. I’m not going to say categorically that there is no tipping, but it’s certainly not anything the company gets any money from.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe width=\"100%\" height=\"166\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"no\" src=\"https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/125668303&color=ff6600&auto_play=false&show_artwork=true\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Tipping is an Expensive Reality\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dan Hara has little doubt that these payments are a reality in San Francisco cab companies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He's an economist whose firm, Hara Associates, compiled \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfmta.com/sites/default/files/Draft%20SF%20DriverSurvey%2037%20Web%20version04042013.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">a report\u003c/a> last year on the city's taxi industry for the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, or SFMTA. The firm's survey of 621 San Francisco cab drivers found that 61 percent said they always pay daily tips to other company employees. More than half of that group, 55 percent, said they pay those tips because they have to.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Of the companies for which more than 30 drivers were surveyed, the reported tips ranged from an average of $4.47 for a non-Friday or non-Saturday night shift to $8.95 for a Friday or Saturday night shift.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe width=\"640\" height=\"300\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"no\" src=\"https://www.google.com/fusiontables/embedviz?containerId=googft-gviz-canvas&q=select+col0%2C+col1%2C+col2%2C+col3+from+10EWOm6XOitK40qidzUUyuF6ng84o_bUsO5jQnZg+order+by+col2+desc+limit+10&viz=GVIZ&t=COLUMN&uiversion=2&gco_forceIFrame=true&gco_hasLabelsColumn=true&gco_vAxes=%5B%7B%22title%22%3A%22Respondents%22%2C+%22minValue%22%3Anull%2C+%22maxValue%22%3Anull%2C+%22useFormatFromData%22%3Atrue%2C+%22viewWindow%22%3A%7B%22max%22%3Anull%2C+%22min%22%3Anull%7D%2C+%22logScale%22%3Afalse%7D%2C%7B%22useFormatFromData%22%3Atrue%2C+%22viewWindow%22%3A%7B%22max%22%3Anull%2C+%22min%22%3Anull%7D%2C+%22minValue%22%3Anull%2C+%22maxValue%22%3Anull%2C+%22logScale%22%3Afalse%7D%5D&gco_useFirstColumnAsDomain=true&gco_isStacked=true&gco_booleanRole=certainty&gco_hAxis=%7B%22useFormatFromData%22%3Atrue%2C+%22minValue%22%3Anull%2C+%22maxValue%22%3Anull%2C+%22viewWindow%22%3Anull%2C+%22viewWindowMode%22%3Anull%7D&gco_legend=right&gco_title=How+often+do+you+pay+tips+to+dispatchers%2C+gas+attendants+or+other+taxi+companies%3F&gco_fontName=Arial&att=true&width=640&height=300\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tipping can be expensive, the report added, with 21 percent of drivers reporting they gave daily tips of between $10 and $20 and another 8 percent saying the gave more than $20 per shift. The highest tips came from those working lucrative weekend night shifts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Not everyone who drives a cab and tips dispatchers and gas attendants see that as a problem. One longtime driver who asked to remain anonymous recalls a variation on the usual practice of tipping.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We would have to go into a lottery, put our names in a hat, and they’d pull out these numbers, and your number would determine your chances [of getting a cab],\" he says. \"Your chances would be better if you decided to give money to the dispatcher. If you tipped, your chances are much greater to get out.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But this driver says he thinks that kind of tipping is OK.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I think most people realize they should tip at least 10 to 15 percent if they like the service,\" he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignleft\"> 'It's not happening at Yellow Cab. If that happens I would fire the employees.'\u003cbr>\n\u003ccite>— Jim Gillespie, Yellow Cab general manager\u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>Barry Korengold, the president of the San Francisco Cab Drivers Association, says there are worse things happening in the industry right now than pressure to give dispatcher and gas attendants a tip. \"It’s not one of my big issues,\" he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Korengold and one other driver told me that because drivers live in part on tips, it would be hypocritical not to do the same.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Emil Lawrence, for one, says he currently tips because he wants to, but that's only because he owns a cab medallion (which is essentially a license to drive a cab in the city) and has greater leverage. He also said he doesn't blame all cab company employees for taking tips, as they make very little money. \"They have no benefits whatsoever, so this is the way they get their income up.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The Law and How It's Enforced\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When I asked Christiane Hayashi, director of taxis and accessible services for the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, whether drivers tipping taxi company employees was legal, she read from the \u003ca href=\"http://transportation.sanfranciscocode.org/downloads/code-text/II._1105.txt\" target=\"_blank\">San Francisco Transportation Code, Section 1105, sub-section A10,\u003c/a> in effect since 2011.\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>“No Permit Holder or agent of a Permit Holder may accept or solicit gifts and/or gratuities or anything of value from any Driver, other than Gate Fees, Lease Fees, payments for goods actually received, or other payments authorized by this Article. A Permit Holder or agent of a Permit Holder shall issue a receipt for any payment received from a Driver.\"\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>The ordinance covers voluntary payments, too. That means all tipping is illegal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That absolute ban notwithstanding, Hayashi says she's aware tipping is happening and thinks the practice varies widely from company to company.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition, she adds, \"The salary structure set up by the companies relies on tipping — it is my understanding that many taxi company employees receive San Francisco's minimum wage and are required to rely on tips to make an adequate salary. ... So it is a deeply ingrained institutional issue that has proven difficult to root out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In some companies, drivers tip because they genuinely have a relationship with the dispatcher and it’s no big deal,\" Hayashi notes. \"In other companies, it’s definitely more of a culture where you’ve got to do this or else. And the driver who doesn’t tip might find himself having consequences.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_120383\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 320px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2013/12/12/San+Francisco-taxi-bribes-tips/rs7183_taxis_22oct2013_0125_web-hpf/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-120383\">\u003cimg class=\"size-full wp-image-120383\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2014/10/RS7183_Taxis_22oct2013_0125_web-hpf.jpg\" alt=\"Taxis in downtown San Francisco. (Sara Bloomberg/KQED)\" width=\"320\" height=\"213\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Taxis in downtown San Francisco. (Sara Bloomberg/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But to do something about those \"consequences,\" Hayashi says, a driver would have to file a formal report with the SFMTA. To date, she says, no one has ever been cited for violating Section 1105, sub-section A10.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The drivers may complain to us, but it’s quite another matter to ask them to sign a declaration and go to an administrative hearing,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Veteran driver Brad Newsham says that kind of reasoning is akin to expecting victims of the system to enforce the law. \"You’re going to blame the cab driver who makes a paltry wage for not taking down the system that has been winked at by every regulator that’s ever been,\" he asks, \"and who has thrown up their hands and says, 'There’s nothing we can do'?\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other drivers say blowing the whistle would be risky. “A driver would be afraid because they’d get fired,\" says Ed Healey, who drives for DeSoto Cab. \"Nobody could survive.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>John Han, a Yellow Cab driver, agrees. “I wouldn’t want to go through that process,\" he says. \"I basically would be going on the record with something that does not look very good for the people who I depend upon to issue me a cab every day.”\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"alignright\">\n\u003ch3>Does Tipping Happen? What the Taxi Companies Say\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Under \u003ca href=\"http://transportation.sanfranciscocode.org/downloads/code-text/II._1105.txt\" target=\"_blank\">a San Francisco ordinance\u003c/a>, the taxi industry practice of requiring or allowing drivers to tip dispatchers or other employees is illegal. We asked major San Francisco cab companies whether tipping takes place in their shops. Here's what they told us:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"http://yellowcabsf.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Yellow Cab\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>: Jim Gillespie, general manager: \"It's not happening at Yellow Cab. If that happens I would fire the employees.\"\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"http://www.luxorcab.com/\" target=\"_blank\">Luxor Cabs\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>: Charles Rathbone, assistant manager: \"Nobody is forced to tip.\" What about voluntary tipping? \"It's the kind of thing that it's almost impossible to stop. ... but it’s certainly not anything the company gets any money from.\"\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"http://www.desotosf.com/\" target=\"_blank\">DeSoto Cab\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>: Hansu Kim, owner: Says compulsory tipping is “almost nonexistent now,” though he acknowledges voluntary tipping continues. \"We have a lot of drivers who don’t tip, so I have to make sure there’s no consequence whether you tip or not. But how do I stop a guy who says, ‘Hey thanks for giving me the orders, here’s five bucks’?\"\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfmta.com/getting-around/take-taxi/taxi-companies/metro-cab\" target=\"_blank\">Metro Cab\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>: Richard Hybels, owner: \"I want it on my headstone: I’ve never taken a penny from a cabdriver as a tip.\"\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfmta.com/getting-around/take-taxi/taxi-companies/royal-taxi\" target=\"_blank\">Royal Taxi\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>: Christopher Sweis, CEO: He says the company's preset schedule for drivers makes tipping unnecessary in terms of being assigned a cab. As for voluntary tipping, he says: \"It's a practice that we can try our best to enforce and ask our dispatchers not to take tips or ask our drivers not to tip the dispatchers. We can't control every single driver. If it's going to happen, it's going to happen.\"\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"http://sftowntaxi.com/\" target=\"_blank\">SF Town Taxi\u003c/a>:\u003c/strong> Jacob Mayzel, manager: \"It doesn't happen with Town Taxi.\"\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"http://www.sfmta.com/vi/getting-around/take-taxi/taxi-companies/arrow-checker-cab\" target=\"_blank\">Arrow Checker\u003c/a>\u003c/strong> Did not respond.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"http://sfnationalcab.sftaxischool.com/\">\u003cstrong>National Veterans Cab\u003c/strong>\u003c/a> Did not respond.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>Luxor driver Jeremiah Cushing says filing a formal complaint would be like asking, \"Who will step forward so [they] can be shot first? Why don’t I just emboss a scarlet T on my chest? I would just be a total outcast.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Bucking the System\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cushing's got another solution to the tipping problem, though: Just refuse to do it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Most people do five dollars in, five dollars out,\" he says, citing what a company cashier told him, i.e., tipping $5 both at the beginning and end of their shifts. \"I started doing the math on it. ... At the end of the year, it was a lot of money in my pocket going to the unknown ... I said, 'Screw this, I'm not paying any of these guys. ... Other drivers have told me, 'You’re going to need these cashiers, they’re going to provide you a car.' I said, 'No — I do not need them, they need me.'\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cushing said he hasn't been tipping anyone but the gas guys for more than a year. \"If you ask me why I tip the gas guys, I can't give you a logical answer,\" he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I asked him if there had been any consequences to his one-man rebellion. He said there had been some minor incidents, including one in which he was assigned a spare cab, typically the vehicle in the worst condition on the lot. He refused to drive it and went home, he said, but there were no other repercussions. \"They have such a shortage of drivers now, I don’t get messed with.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ray of Hope for Drivers?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003c/strong>Metro Cab and Green Cab are two taxi outfits drivers routinely mention as prohibiting tipping. When I asked Metro owner Richard Hybels what's behind his policy, he said:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Most of the people who work for me are supporting families, or supporting families in another country. It’s a tough business as it is. I make enough money in the normal parts of the business; I don’t need to squeeze any more out of them. ... I want it on my headstone: I’ve never taken a penny from a cabdriver as a tip.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Former \"Night Cabbie\" columnist Emil Lawrence says many gas-and-gate cab drivers are on the economic margins and that he knows drivers who are living in \u003ca href=\"http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/topics/housing_choice_voucher_program_section_8\" target=\"_blank\">Section 8 housing\u003c/a> and receiving food stamps.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"They pay the cab company nonstop, they pay everybody tips nonstop,\" Lawrence says. \"They don't even make minimum wage on some nights, and if they don't pay, they don't have gas, they don't have a job the next day. ... What they make after paying the SFMTA and cab companies, you couldn't make a decent living in downtown Baghdad today.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I've been in that situation,\" he says. \"It's like quicksand.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the balance of power between cab drivers and cab companies may be starting to tilt in the drivers' favor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>SFMTA consultant Dan Hara says a downturn in the cab business brought about by the rise of ride-service companies has at least temporarily reduced the pressure to tip, because cab companies are having problems filling shifts, a reality confirmed by others in the industry. (Though I recently asked three different drivers during cab rides if they currently tipped taxi company employees, and they all said they did.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While many cab drivers are irate about Sidecar, Lyft and Uber \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2013/11/07/taxis-lyft-ride-service-war-on-streets-of-san-francisco\" target=\"_blank\">cutting into their business\u003c/a>, many others are quitting the cab business to drive with what regulators call \"transportation network companies (TNCs)\" — the very ride-service companies that compete with their cabs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Before TNCs, some drivers tipped extensively to get out faster in nicer cars,\" says John Han. \"Now, I'm guessing some of those drivers have gone to TNCs.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Indeed, one of my recent cab drivers cited the requirement to tip as a major reason he was quitting to go work for Uber. (\"If you get an airport call, the guys ask you for money after and if you don't give you won't get another airport call,\" he said.)\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignleft\"> 'The drivers may complain to us but it’s quite another matter to ask them to sign a declaration...'\u003cbr>\n\u003ccite>— Christiane Hayashi, Director of Taxis at SFMTA\u003c/cite>\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>I kept asking the drivers if the Lyfts and Sidecars of the world could actually end up \u003cem>helping\u003c/em> them, as they potentially give drivers more leverage in dealing with the cab companies. John Han, for instance, says Yellow recently lowered its Saturday night gate fee for drivers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some scoffed at the notion that anything good could result from the competition or that they would ever switch to a TNC, citing the \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2013/11/14/who-pays-when-ride-share-driver-crashes\" target=\"_blank\">insurance risk\u003c/a>, among other reasons. But not everyone felt that way. Brad Newsham said if he were giving advice to a young would-be driver today, he'd tell them to skip traditional taxis and go to work for a ride-service company.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Emil Lawrence told me there might be something for the average driver to gain from going to work for a ride-service firm.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I know drivers right now who work for cab companies at the same time they work for Uber,\" he says. \"Radio calls are down probably 70 percent now. They’re down on Friday even more. You’re talking about 10-15 minutes sometimes with no call at all. It’s all on the apps. If you’re a cab driver with a taxi, at the same time you have an Uber setup, that may be the new industry. But you can (also) do that same business in your own car at your own hours without paying the taxi company one dime.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp style=\"margin: 12px auto 6px auto;font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-style: normal;font-variant: normal;font-weight: normal;font-size: 14px;line-height: normal\">\u003ca style=\"text-decoration: underline\" title=\"View SF Taxi Driver Survey on Scribd\" href=\"http://www.scribd.com/doc/192372483/SF-Taxi-Driver-Survey\">SF Taxi Driver Survey\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe id=\"doc_39345\" src=\"//www.scribd.com/embeds/192372483/content?start_page=1&view_mode=scroll&show_recommendations=true\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" width=\"100%\" height=\"600\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"id": "commonwealth-club",
"title": "Commonwealth Club of California Podcast",
"info": "The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum. As a non-partisan forum, The Club brings to the public airwaves diverse viewpoints on important topics. The Club's weekly radio broadcast - the oldest in the U.S., dating back to 1924 - is carried across the nation on public radio stations and is now podcasting. Our website archive features audio of our recent programs, as well as selected speeches from our long and distinguished history. This podcast feed is usually updated twice a week and is always un-edited.",
"airtime": "THU 10pm, FRI 1am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Commonwealth-Club-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
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"meta": {
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"source": "Commonwealth Club of California"
},
"link": "/radio/program/commonwealth-club",
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5jb21tb253ZWFsdGhjbHViLm9yZy9hdWRpby9wb2RjYXN0L3dlZWtseS54bWw",
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},
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"id": "forum",
"title": "Forum",
"tagline": "The conversation starts here",
"info": "KQED’s live call-in program discussing local, state, national and international issues, as well as in-depth interviews.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 9am-11am, 10pm-11pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Forum-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Forum with Mina Kim and Alexis Madrigal",
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"order": 9
},
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"id": "freakonomics-radio",
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"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/05/freakonomicsRadio.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://freakonomics.com/",
"airtime": "SUN 1am-2am, SAT 3pm-4pm",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "WNYC"
},
"link": "/radio/program/freakonomics-radio",
"subscribe": {
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/freakonomics-radio/id354668519",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/WNYC-Podcasts/Freakonomics-Radio-p272293/",
"rss": "https://feeds.feedburner.com/freakonomicsradio"
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},
"fresh-air": {
"id": "fresh-air",
"title": "Fresh Air",
"info": "Hosted by Terry Gross, \u003cem>Fresh Air from WHYY\u003c/em> is the Peabody Award-winning weekday magazine of contemporary arts and issues. One of public radio's most popular programs, Fresh Air features intimate conversations with today's biggest luminaries.",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=214089682&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/381444908/podcast.xml"
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"info": "A live production of NPR and WBUR Boston, in collaboration with stations across the country, Here & Now reflects the fluid world of news as it's happening in the middle of the day, with timely, in-depth news, interviews and conversation. Hosted by Robin Young, Jeremy Hobson and Tonya Mosley.",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510051/podcast.xml"
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},
"hidden-brain": {
"id": "hidden-brain",
"title": "Hidden Brain",
"info": "Shankar Vedantam uses science and storytelling to reveal the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, shape our choices and direct our relationships.",
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"airtime": "SUN 7pm-8pm",
"meta": {
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"source": "NPR"
},
"link": "/radio/program/hidden-brain",
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},
"how-i-built-this": {
"id": "how-i-built-this",
"title": "How I Built This with Guy Raz",
"info": "Guy Raz dives into the stories behind some of the world's best known companies. How I Built This weaves a narrative journey about innovators, entrepreneurs and idealists—and the movements they built.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/05/howIBuiltThis.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510313/how-i-built-this",
"airtime": "SUN 7:30pm-8pm",
"meta": {
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},
"link": "/radio/program/how-i-built-this",
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"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/3zxy",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-built-this-with-guy-raz/id1150510297?mt=2",
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},
"hyphenacion": {
"id": "hyphenacion",
"title": "Hyphenación",
"tagline": "Where conversation and cultura meet",
"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Hyphenacion_FinalAssets_PodcastTile.png",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
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"order": 15
},
"link": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
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"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/2p3Fifq96nw9BPcmFdIq0o?si=39209f7b25774f38",
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},
"jerrybrown": {
"id": "jerrybrown",
"title": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"tagline": "Lessons from a lifetime in politics",
"info": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown brings listeners the wisdom of the former Governor, Mayor, and presidential candidate. Scott Shafer interviewed Brown for more than 40 hours, covering the former governor's life and half-century in the political game – and Brown has some lessons he'd like to share. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Political-Mind-of-Jerry-Brown-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
"meta": {
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"order": 18
},
"link": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
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}
},
"latino-usa": {
"id": "latino-usa",
"title": "Latino USA",
"airtime": "MON 1am-2am, SUN 6pm-7pm",
"info": "Latino USA, the radio journal of news and culture, is the only national, English-language radio program produced from a Latino perspective.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/latinoUsa.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://latinousa.org/",
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},
"link": "/radio/program/latino-usa",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=79681317&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510016/podcast.xml"
}
},
"marketplace": {
"id": "marketplace",
"title": "Marketplace",
"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 4pm-4:30pm, MON-WED 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Marketplace-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.marketplace.org/",
"meta": {
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"source": "American Public Media"
},
"link": "/radio/program/marketplace",
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"rss": "https://feeds.publicradio.org/public_feeds/marketplace-pm/rss/rss"
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},
"masters-of-scale": {
"id": "masters-of-scale",
"title": "Masters of Scale",
"info": "Masters of Scale is an original podcast in which LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock Partner Reid Hoffman sets out to describe and prove theories that explain how great entrepreneurs take their companies from zero to a gazillion in ingenious fashion.",
"airtime": "Every other Wednesday June 12 through October 16 at 8pm (repeats Thursdays at 2am)",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Masters-of-Scale-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://mastersofscale.com/",
"meta": {
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"source": "WaitWhat"
},
"link": "/radio/program/masters-of-scale",
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"apple": "http://mastersofscale.app.link/",
"rss": "https://rss.art19.com/masters-of-scale"
}
},
"mindshift": {
"id": "mindshift",
"title": "MindShift",
"tagline": "A podcast about the future of learning and how we raise our kids",
"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Mindshift-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED MindShift: How We Will Learn",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/mindshift/",
"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 12
},
"link": "/podcasts/mindshift",
"subscribe": {
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM1NzY0NjAwNDI5",
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}
},
"morning-edition": {
"id": "morning-edition",
"title": "Morning Edition",
"info": "\u003cem>Morning Edition\u003c/em> takes listeners around the country and the world with multi-faceted stories and commentaries every weekday. Hosts Steve Inskeep, David Greene and Rachel Martin bring you the latest breaking news and features to prepare you for the day.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3am-9am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Morning-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/morning-edition/",
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"link": "/radio/program/morning-edition"
},
"onourwatch": {
"id": "onourwatch",
"title": "On Our Watch",
"tagline": "Deeply-reported investigative journalism",
"info": "For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/On-Our-Watch-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "On Our Watch from NPR and KQED",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 11
},
"link": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1567098962",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5ucHIub3JnLzUxMDM2MC9wb2RjYXN0LnhtbD9zYz1nb29nbGVwb2RjYXN0cw",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510360/podcast.xml"
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},
"on-the-media": {
"id": "on-the-media",
"title": "On The Media",
"info": "Our weekly podcast explores how the media 'sausage' is made, casts an incisive eye on fluctuations in the marketplace of ideas, and examines threats to the freedom of information and expression in America and abroad. For one hour a week, the show tries to lift the veil from the process of \"making media,\" especially news media, because it's through that lens that we see the world and the world sees us",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm-3pm, MON 12am-1am",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/onTheMedia.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/otm",
"meta": {
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"source": "wnyc"
},
"link": "/radio/program/on-the-media",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/on-the-media/id73330715?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/On-the-Media-p69/",
"rss": "http://feeds.wnyc.org/onthemedia"
}
},
"pbs-newshour": {
"id": "pbs-newshour",
"title": "PBS NewsHour",
"info": "Analysis, background reports and updates from the PBS NewsHour putting today's news in context.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3pm-4pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/PBS-News-Hour-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/",
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"source": "pbs"
},
"link": "/radio/program/pbs-newshour",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pbs-newshour-full-show/id394432287?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/PBS-NewsHour---Full-Show-p425698/",
"rss": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/feeds/rss/podcasts/show"
}
},
"perspectives": {
"id": "perspectives",
"title": "Perspectives",
"tagline": "KQED's series of daily listener commentaries since 1991",
"info": "KQED's series of daily listener commentaries since 1991.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Perspectives_Tile_Final.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Perspectives",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/perspectives/",
"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 14
},
"link": "/perspectives",
"subscribe": {
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"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/432309616/perspectives",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/perspectives/category/perspectives/feed/",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93dzIua3FlZC5vcmcvcGVyc3BlY3RpdmVzL2NhdGVnb3J5L3BlcnNwZWN0aXZlcy9mZWVkLw"
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},
"planet-money": {
"id": "planet-money",
"title": "Planet Money",
"info": "The economy explained. Imagine you could call up a friend and say, Meet me at the bar and tell me what's going on with the economy. Now imagine that's actually a fun evening.",
"airtime": "SUN 3pm-4pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/planetmoney.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/sections/money/",
"meta": {
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"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/planet-money",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/M4f5",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/planet-money/id290783428?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/Business--Economics-Podcasts/Planet-Money-p164680/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510289/podcast.xml"
}
},
"politicalbreakdown": {
"id": "politicalbreakdown",
"title": "Political Breakdown",
"tagline": "Politics from a personal perspective",
"info": "Political Breakdown is a new series that explores the political intersection of California and the nation. Each week hosts Scott Shafer and Marisa Lagos are joined with a new special guest to unpack politics -- with personality — and offer an insider’s glimpse at how politics happens.",
"airtime": "THU 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Political-Breakdown-2024-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Political Breakdown",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/politicalbreakdown",
"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 5
},
"link": "/podcasts/politicalbreakdown",
"subscribe": {
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"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/e0c2d153-ad36-4c8d-901d-f1da6a724824/political-breakdown",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/572155894/political-breakdown",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/political-breakdown",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/07RVyIjIdk2WDuVehvBMoN",
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