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"disqusTitle": "Ride-Service Roundup: What's Happening With Uber and Lyft Around the U.S. and the World",
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"content": "\u003cp>As we've covered the regulatory triumphs and travails of San Francisco-based Uber and Lyft in California over the last several years, we've also kept an eye on how the companies are faring around the country and, in Uber's case, around the world.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The transportation network companies, or TNCs, as California designates them, have done battle with legislatures, city councils, the insurance industry and especially local taxi companies and drivers in their remarkably rapid expansion into new markets.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Disruption\" is a tech conceit that has almost become a cliche, but there really is no other word for what the nascent ride-service firms have inflicted upon the heavily regulated business of taxis. They once provided a traditional fallback profession for those who either wanted a more independent work life or a temporary bridge to a more conventional gig, but they've seen downward pressure on drivers' ability to make a living due to the new competition.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More recently, drivers for Uber and Lyft, who once spoke so glowingly about the money and flexibility their driving jobs afforded them, have also started to grumble over cuts in their wages as a result of the firms slashing prices.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On any given day, dozens of news stories are written about Uber, a $40-50 billion juggernaut, and its much smaller top competitor, Lyft. Here's a snapshot of what's been going on recently, from a Florida regulatory ruling that an Uber driver qualifies for unemployment as an employee of the company, to Long Beach's decision to relax regulations on its taxi industry so as to put it on a more even footing with TNCs, to prosecutions against Uber drivers in Perth, Australia.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Akron\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.ohio.com/business/lin-fisher/ride-sharing-services-uber-lyft-growing-in-akron-area-1.594071\" target=\"_blank\">Ride-sharing services, Uber, Lyft growing in Akron area \u003c/a> (Akron Beacon Journal)\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>Uber and Lyft, two ride-sharing companies that have been growing nationally and internationally, both entered the Akron market last year. Their presence is growing, coupled with a more robust market in the Cleveland area. ... Uber has been in Ohio since October 2013 and is in all six of the major cities, Cleveland, Akron, Columbus, Cincinnati, Dayton and Toledo, said James Ondrey, general manager for Uber Ohio and Kentucky.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Bloomington, Ill.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.pantagraph.com/news/local/uber-pilot-project-reduces-city-s-role-in-regulating-vehicles/article_c6b83974-77a4-55b9-9b2f-0782b4d13b04.html\">Uber pilot project reduces city's role in regulating vehicles for hire \u003c/a>(Pantagraph)\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>Uber, taxis and other vehicles for hire could do their own driver background checks and vehicle safety inspections under a pilot program the Bloomington City Council will consider Tuesday. Currently, the city and the police department are involved in that oversight. ... Under the new proposal, the city will create a transportation network companies (TNC) ordinance that would require city audits twice annually. Audits would review records to ensure compliance with insurance requirements, performing safety checks on vehicles and checking drivers' backgrounds, using multi-state criminal records and national sex offender registry databases.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Florida\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.forbes.com/sites/robertwood/2015/05/26/florida-says-uber-drivers-are-employees-but-fedex-other-cases-promise-long-battle/\" target=\"_blank\">Florida Says Uber Drivers Are Employees, But FedEx, Other Cases Promise Long Battle\u003c/a> (Forbes)\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>Uber promises good open-ended pay, flexible hours, even discounts on vehicles. But employee status? No way. Health and dental coverage? Tax withholding? Nope. Darrin McGillis was a driver in Florida who was in a car accident so could no longer pick up passengers. Buzzfeed reported on the case in which McGillis couldn’t get Uber to help, so he filed for unemployment. Hey, I qualify since I’m effectively an employee, McGillis claimed. Sure enough, the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity agreed with him that he was actually an employee. Predictably, Uber disagrees with the decision and will surely fight it vigorously. A separate report on McGillis’s case in \u003ca href=\"http://www.miamiherald.com/news/business/article21599697.html\" target=\"_blank\">The Miami Herald\u003c/a> notes that Uber has managed to get similar state decisions overturned. Although the case only involves one Uber driver and in Florida at that, this case and the inevitable others like it will be watched. Recently, a survey showed that contract workers for Uber and numerous other companies don’t get benefits and have trouble getting them on their own.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Kansas\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.kansascity.com/news/business/article21673137.html\" target=\"_blank\">Uber returns to Kansas after bill-signing Friday\u003c/a> (Kansas City Star)\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>Uber has officially returned to Kansas, and Gov. Sam Brownback was one of its first passengers upon signing a new law designed to bring the ride-hailing service back to the Sunflower State. ... Brownback’s signing of SB 101 puts an end to a controversy that has besieged the Legislature in recent weeks. ... Uber announced it was pulling out of Kansas and halted all service earlier this month after the Legislature established insurance and safety regulations for ride-hailing services. Brownback vetoed the safety regulation bill, but the Legislature overrode his veto. Uber resumed service in the state within two minutes of Brownback’s signing of the new bill, which represents a compromise.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Long Beach\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-long-beach-uber-20150514-story.html\">Long Beach allows taxis to lower fares as they compete with Uber, Lyft\u003c/a> (LA Times)\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>Long Beach officials are pursuing a new strategy to resolve the growing rift between taxi drivers and ride-hailing services such as Uber and Lyft, becoming the nation's first large city to relax restrictions on cabs, rather than increase regulation of their new competitors. Removing requirements that taxi drivers say have put them at a competitive disadvantage, the City Council voted Tuesday to allow its exclusive cab franchise to rebrand itself, update the appearance of its fleet and offer variable, discounted fares, free rides and other price promotions to lure customers.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Maryland\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/bs-bz-uber-ocean-city-20150521-story.html\" target=\"_blank\">Uber to launch in Ocean City, St. Michaels on Friday\u003c/a> (WBAL)\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>Uber will start offering rides to smartphone-equipped beachgoers and vacationers in Ocean City and St. Michaels ... the popular rideshare company announced Thursday. ... It's expansion to the Eastern Shore comes after it and other companies like it, including Lyft, won a key victory in Annapolis this past session, when legislators passed a bill outlining a new framework for the companies to operate legally in the state. Prior to the legislation passing, Uber had been in a protracted dispute over regulations with the Maryland Public Service Commission and representatives from the state's traditional taxi industry.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Massachussetts\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.wbur.org/2015/05/22/uber-cape-cod-marthas-vineyard-nantucket\" target=\"_blank\">Uber Launches On Cape Cod And The Islands\u003c/a> (WBUR)\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>The ride-for-hire service Uber will begin operating on Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket Friday. The service will launch in the beach communities at 5 p.m. Friday evening, just in time for Memorial Day weekend. ... Regulations, however, are likely on the way. Gov. Charlie Baker last month proposed new legislation that would require ride-for-hire services to conduct background checks on drivers and ensure cars have proper insurance. It has not yet been taken up by the Legislature.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Nevada\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/nevada-legislature/legislature-approves-bill-authorizing-uber-lyft-nevada\">Legislature approves bill authorizing Uber, Lyft in Nevada\u003c/a> (Las Vegas Review-Journal)\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>A bill authorizing ride-hailing companies like Uber and Lyft to operate in Nevada won approval early Saturday in the Nevada Legislature, but it didn’t happen without plenty of confusion. A 3 percent excises tax on fares, including on taxis and limousines, was also approved, which will raise tens of millions in new revenue, including $19 million to fully fund the new medical school at UNLV. In Assembly and Senate floor sessions that lasted until the early morning hours on Saturday, the Assembly signed off on Assembly Bill 175, sending it to Gov. Brian Sandoval, who is expected to sign the measure.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>New York City\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.cnbc.com/id/102706872\">Taxi drivers fight back against Uber and Lyft\u003c/a> (CNBC)\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>As valuations for major ride-hailing players including Lyft soar into the billions, the value of traditional taxicab medallions is declining. Medallions are city-issued licenses to operate cabs. But some New York City medallion owners are fighting back. They're trying to craft their own app solutions, albeit with mixed results, and working longer hours to pay the bills.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://nypost.com/2015/05/25/nyc-uber-drivers-converting-cars-to-yellow-taxis/\" target=\"_blank\">NYC Uber drivers converting cars to yellow taxis\u003c/a> (NY Post)\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>Uber drivers are transforming their black cars into taxis as part of a Taxi and Limousine Commission pilot project, The Post has learned. So far, five hacks have gone through with the makeover, and seven more are in the pipeline, the TLC said. ... The program was approved in January, and accepts cars no older than two years, reversing a nearly 20-year-old TLC requirement that only new cars be added to the city’s taxi fleet. ... It comes as Uber cars now outnumber yellow cabs, 14,088 to 13,587, according to TLC data released in March. Taxis still make more trips.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Pittsburgh\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2484605,00.asp\">Uber Testing Self-Driving Car in Pittsburgh? Not Quite\u003c/a> (PC)\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>Is an Uber self-driving car travelling around the greater Pittsburgh area? Unfortunately not. As much as we'd love to see a day when an unmanned vehicle can pick us up and take us on our way (and let us blast our Spotify playlists as loudly as we want), we're not quite there yet. Though news reports have suggested that Uber is testing a self-driving vehicle around Pittsburgh recently, that's not quite the case. That said, Uber does have some test cars driving around—easily discernible by their all-black appearance, Uber logo, and \"Uber Advanced Technologies Center\" branding on the side, in addition to the curious array of sensors and other electronic items attached to the car's roof.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Portland\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.opb.org/news/article/ubers-wheelchair-accessible-option-in-portland-doesnt-work-9-to-5/\" target=\"_blank\">Uber's Wheelchair-Accessible Option In Portland Doesn't Work 9 to 5\u003c/a> (Oregon Public Broadcasting)\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>Four weeks have passed since Uber legally re-launched its service in Portland on April 24, after the city council, in a divided vote, approved a 4-month long experiment in taxi deregulation. ... One of the city’s victories in the negotiations that allowed Uber to re-launch was Uber’s commitment to provide wheelchair-accessible rides. Uber provides some form of wheelchair-accessible service in several other cities, including San Francisco, Chicago and New York, but Portland was the first place where the company agreed to launch its wheelchair option, which it calls the WAV view, from the start. ... Based on their own description of what they offer, Uber’s service appears to fall well short of the city’s requirements that transportation app companies provide equitable service to people with disabilities, including those in wheelchairs. The contractor Uber works with to provide wheelchair vans, First Transit, has no drivers working on the Uber platform during the day on weekdays, and has just one van driver working on call from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Seattle\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.geekwire.com/2015/uber-lyft-may-soon-be-allowed-to-pick-up-passengers-at-seattle-airport/\" target=\"_blank\">Uber, Lyft may soon be allowed to pick up passengers at Seattle airport\u003c/a> (GeekWire)\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>Smartphone owners needing a ride from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport may soon have a few more transportation options. The Port of Seattle has been in negotiations with Uber, Lyft, and Sidecar — also known as “transportation network companies,” or TNCs — and could allow the companies to pick up passengers at Sea-Tac as soon as next month.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Texas\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southcentral/2015/05/21/368968.htm\">Uber Facing Another Setback As Texas Passes on Ridesharing Law\u003c/a> (Bloomberg)\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>Uber Technologies Inc.’s attempt to replace a patchwork of local rules in Texas with a state law regulating its car-booking business is headed for defeat because lawmakers have yet to act on a key measure with only days remaining in the legislative session. Barring a last-minute change of course in the Capitol in Austin, the company will walk away empty-handed in the second- most-populous U.S. state as it seeks to expand after reports this month said a new round of funding would boost its valuation to an estimated $50 billion.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Washington, D.C.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/dr-gridlock/wp/2015/05/21/uber-and-lyft-could-soon-be-operating-at-national-dulles-airports/\" target=\"_blank\">Uber and Lyft could soon be operating at National, Dulles airports\u003c/a> (Washington Post)\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority on Wednesday unveiled a plan to allow the popular app-based car services to operate at both airports. Under the proposal, the airports would designate waiting areas for rideshare vehicles so drivers could arrange trips with passengers while already on the airport premises. This would help reduce the customer wait time for the ride.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://dcinno.streetwise.co/2015/05/26/dc-uber-lyft-regulations-lead-to-taxi-union-lawsuit/\">Can the Taxi Union Get the Courts to Shut down Uber and Lyft in DC?\u003c/a> (DC Inno)\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>Uber, Lyft and Sidecar were given an unfair advantage by the regulations approved last year by the D.C. Council according to the Metro Area Taxi Operators Association. The taxi union, which is affiliated with the Teamsters, filed a class-action lawsuit with six D.C. taxi drivers in U.S. District Court against the city on Friday. The Vehicle-forHire Innovation Amendment Act of 2014 \"creates an irrational, two-tiered regulatory system that unconstitutionally harms the economic and property interests of the Taxicab Service Plaintiffs and similarly situated taxicab permit holders,\" according to the lawsuit.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003ch2>International\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Australia\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/law-order/turf-war-intensifies-between-uber-and-taxis-after-driver-claims-foot-run-over/story-fni0fee2-1227367443781\">Turf war intensifies between Uber and taxis after driver claims foot run over\u003c/a> (Herald Sun)\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>A taxi turf war was behind an alleged dispute that saw an UberX driver run over a young cabbie’s foot in East Melbourne on Saturday night, industry insiders claim. Police are investigating the alleged incident, which Silver Top taxi driver Syed Rizvi says has left him with a bruised and swollen foot and unable to work for at least a month. Uber has hit back at the allegation, saying its driver was “intimidated and physically threatened” by taxi drivers at the scene of the alleged altercation.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.perthnow.com.au/news/western-australia/wa-transport-department-launches-prosecutions-against-19-uber-drivers/story-fnhocxo3-1227369745223\">WA Transport Department launches prosecutions against 19 Uber drivers\u003c/a> (Perth Now)\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>WA’S Department of Transport has ramped up its action against ride-sharing smartphone app Uber, launching 19 more prosecutions against its drivers. A department spokeswoman said on Tuesday the 19 prosecutions were initiated earlier this month for failing to comply with a lawful direction of an authorised officer under the Taxi Act 1994.\u003cbr>\n“These prosecutions are a result of previously issued “notice to produce orders”. As these matters are now before the courts, DoT is not able to provide further comment,” she said. This brings the number of prosecutions against Uber drivers in WA to 20.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>China\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.cnbc.com/id/102705599\">Chinese city of Guangzhou to launch Uber rival service\u003c/a> (CNBC)\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>Guangzhou's municipal government is planning to launch its own Uber-like online taxi hire service, only weeks after police closed the San Francisco-based transport app's office in the southern Chinese city. The new company, Ruyue (meaning \"by appointment\"), will offer rides to customers using a smartphone app. However, the journeys will be provided by the four taxi companies with licences to operate in Guangzhou, which had faced competition from Uber before it was shut.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>France\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.wsj.com/articles/uber-dealt-fresh-blow-by-french-court-1432295784\">Uber Dealt Fresh Blow by French Court\u003c/a> (The Wall Street Journal)\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>Uber Technologies Inc. lost a round in its ongoing legal battles in Europe, when a French court upheld parts of a transport law aimed at reining in the California-based car-hailing firm. The decision is a fresh blow to Uber, which faces a more important ruling on other elements of a law passed last October, in particular one that criminalizes Uber’s low-cost service, Uberpop, which uses drivers without commercial licenses.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Hungary\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://hungarytoday.hu/news/taxi-app-uber-go-business-hungary-tax-authority-sting-24489\" target=\"_blank\">Taxi App Uber Could Go Out Of Business In Hungary After Tax Authority Sting\u003c/a> (Hungary Today)\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>An investigation conducted by the National Tax and Customs Administration has found that all Uber drivers examined broke tax regulations, and hefty fines suggest that the taxi app could go out of business in Hungary. During the first series of checks by tax officers disguised as passengers, conducted in May, the tax authority found that none of the tested drivers had a VAT number or produced an invoice. Drivers failed to install taxi meters in their cars and there were no blank receipts or invoices provided. The drivers, who were found to offer the service in a “business-like” manner, had neither a taxi licence or a certificate of medical condition. Those who were found to break the rules may now be hit by fines up to HUF 200 000 and the tax authority said that it will carry out further checks on every single Uber driver.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Italy\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.irishtimes.com/business/transport-and-tourism/italian-court-bans-unlicensed-taxi-services-like-uber-1.2226506\" target=\"_blank\">Italian court bans unlicensed taxi services like Uber\u003c/a> (Reuters)\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>An Italian court on Tuesday banned unlicensed car-sharing services such as those offered by Uber, in another setback for the fast-growing US car service whose smartphone app summons rides at the touch of a button. Uber has been gaining popularity among passengers seeking lower cost car rides, triggering protests across Europe by heavily regulated traditional taxi drivers. The court in Italy’s business capital Milan said the Uber POP service, which links private drivers with passengers through an easy-to-use smartphone app, created “unfair competition”.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>London, UK\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/technology-science/technology/black-cabbies-prepare-cause-london-5763792\" target=\"_blank\">Black cabbies prepare to cause London gridlock in protest against taxi app Uber\u003c/a> (Mirror)\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>The drivers of London's iconic black cabs will take to the streets this afternoon in a protest against Uber's increasing domination of the taxi industry. Hundreds of cabbies are expected to descend on the Victoria headquarters of Transport for London at 2pm, potentially causing traffic to back up around the city. Today's protest is organised by an organisation called United Cabbies Group, but its concerns are shared across the industry.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Mexico City\u003cbr>\n\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.wsj.com/articles/mexico-city-cabbies-block-streets-to-protest-against-uber-1432593861\">Mexico City Cabbies Block Streets to Protest Against Uber\u003c/a> (Wall Street Journal)\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>Hundreds of taxi drivers blocked main thoroughfares in Mexico City on Monday to demand that authorities crack down on the popular ride-hailing service Uber, which responded by offering free trips throughout the day to its users. The protest against Uber Technologies Inc., its smaller Spain-based counterpart Cabify, and unlicensed cabbies turned parts of the capital’s streets into virtual parking lots dominated by the pink-and-white taxis that are licensed by the city government.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>As we've covered the regulatory triumphs and travails of San Francisco-based Uber and Lyft in California over the last several years, we've also kept an eye on how the companies are faring around the country and, in Uber's case, around the world.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The transportation network companies, or TNCs, as California designates them, have done battle with legislatures, city councils, the insurance industry and especially local taxi companies and drivers in their remarkably rapid expansion into new markets.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Disruption\" is a tech conceit that has almost become a cliche, but there really is no other word for what the nascent ride-service firms have inflicted upon the heavily regulated business of taxis. They once provided a traditional fallback profession for those who either wanted a more independent work life or a temporary bridge to a more conventional gig, but they've seen downward pressure on drivers' ability to make a living due to the new competition.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More recently, drivers for Uber and Lyft, who once spoke so glowingly about the money and flexibility their driving jobs afforded them, have also started to grumble over cuts in their wages as a result of the firms slashing prices.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On any given day, dozens of news stories are written about Uber, a $40-50 billion juggernaut, and its much smaller top competitor, Lyft. Here's a snapshot of what's been going on recently, from a Florida regulatory ruling that an Uber driver qualifies for unemployment as an employee of the company, to Long Beach's decision to relax regulations on its taxi industry so as to put it on a more even footing with TNCs, to prosecutions against Uber drivers in Perth, Australia.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Akron\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.ohio.com/business/lin-fisher/ride-sharing-services-uber-lyft-growing-in-akron-area-1.594071\" target=\"_blank\">Ride-sharing services, Uber, Lyft growing in Akron area \u003c/a> (Akron Beacon Journal)\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>Uber and Lyft, two ride-sharing companies that have been growing nationally and internationally, both entered the Akron market last year. Their presence is growing, coupled with a more robust market in the Cleveland area. ... Uber has been in Ohio since October 2013 and is in all six of the major cities, Cleveland, Akron, Columbus, Cincinnati, Dayton and Toledo, said James Ondrey, general manager for Uber Ohio and Kentucky.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Bloomington, Ill.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.pantagraph.com/news/local/uber-pilot-project-reduces-city-s-role-in-regulating-vehicles/article_c6b83974-77a4-55b9-9b2f-0782b4d13b04.html\">Uber pilot project reduces city's role in regulating vehicles for hire \u003c/a>(Pantagraph)\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>Uber, taxis and other vehicles for hire could do their own driver background checks and vehicle safety inspections under a pilot program the Bloomington City Council will consider Tuesday. Currently, the city and the police department are involved in that oversight. ... Under the new proposal, the city will create a transportation network companies (TNC) ordinance that would require city audits twice annually. Audits would review records to ensure compliance with insurance requirements, performing safety checks on vehicles and checking drivers' backgrounds, using multi-state criminal records and national sex offender registry databases.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Florida\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.forbes.com/sites/robertwood/2015/05/26/florida-says-uber-drivers-are-employees-but-fedex-other-cases-promise-long-battle/\" target=\"_blank\">Florida Says Uber Drivers Are Employees, But FedEx, Other Cases Promise Long Battle\u003c/a> (Forbes)\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>Uber promises good open-ended pay, flexible hours, even discounts on vehicles. But employee status? No way. Health and dental coverage? Tax withholding? Nope. Darrin McGillis was a driver in Florida who was in a car accident so could no longer pick up passengers. Buzzfeed reported on the case in which McGillis couldn’t get Uber to help, so he filed for unemployment. Hey, I qualify since I’m effectively an employee, McGillis claimed. Sure enough, the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity agreed with him that he was actually an employee. Predictably, Uber disagrees with the decision and will surely fight it vigorously. A separate report on McGillis’s case in \u003ca href=\"http://www.miamiherald.com/news/business/article21599697.html\" target=\"_blank\">The Miami Herald\u003c/a> notes that Uber has managed to get similar state decisions overturned. Although the case only involves one Uber driver and in Florida at that, this case and the inevitable others like it will be watched. Recently, a survey showed that contract workers for Uber and numerous other companies don’t get benefits and have trouble getting them on their own.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Kansas\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.kansascity.com/news/business/article21673137.html\" target=\"_blank\">Uber returns to Kansas after bill-signing Friday\u003c/a> (Kansas City Star)\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>Uber has officially returned to Kansas, and Gov. Sam Brownback was one of its first passengers upon signing a new law designed to bring the ride-hailing service back to the Sunflower State. ... Brownback’s signing of SB 101 puts an end to a controversy that has besieged the Legislature in recent weeks. ... Uber announced it was pulling out of Kansas and halted all service earlier this month after the Legislature established insurance and safety regulations for ride-hailing services. Brownback vetoed the safety regulation bill, but the Legislature overrode his veto. Uber resumed service in the state within two minutes of Brownback’s signing of the new bill, which represents a compromise.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Long Beach\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-long-beach-uber-20150514-story.html\">Long Beach allows taxis to lower fares as they compete with Uber, Lyft\u003c/a> (LA Times)\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>Long Beach officials are pursuing a new strategy to resolve the growing rift between taxi drivers and ride-hailing services such as Uber and Lyft, becoming the nation's first large city to relax restrictions on cabs, rather than increase regulation of their new competitors. Removing requirements that taxi drivers say have put them at a competitive disadvantage, the City Council voted Tuesday to allow its exclusive cab franchise to rebrand itself, update the appearance of its fleet and offer variable, discounted fares, free rides and other price promotions to lure customers.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Maryland\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/bs-bz-uber-ocean-city-20150521-story.html\" target=\"_blank\">Uber to launch in Ocean City, St. Michaels on Friday\u003c/a> (WBAL)\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>Uber will start offering rides to smartphone-equipped beachgoers and vacationers in Ocean City and St. Michaels ... the popular rideshare company announced Thursday. ... It's expansion to the Eastern Shore comes after it and other companies like it, including Lyft, won a key victory in Annapolis this past session, when legislators passed a bill outlining a new framework for the companies to operate legally in the state. Prior to the legislation passing, Uber had been in a protracted dispute over regulations with the Maryland Public Service Commission and representatives from the state's traditional taxi industry.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Massachussetts\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.wbur.org/2015/05/22/uber-cape-cod-marthas-vineyard-nantucket\" target=\"_blank\">Uber Launches On Cape Cod And The Islands\u003c/a> (WBUR)\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>The ride-for-hire service Uber will begin operating on Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket Friday. The service will launch in the beach communities at 5 p.m. Friday evening, just in time for Memorial Day weekend. ... Regulations, however, are likely on the way. Gov. Charlie Baker last month proposed new legislation that would require ride-for-hire services to conduct background checks on drivers and ensure cars have proper insurance. It has not yet been taken up by the Legislature.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Nevada\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/nevada-legislature/legislature-approves-bill-authorizing-uber-lyft-nevada\">Legislature approves bill authorizing Uber, Lyft in Nevada\u003c/a> (Las Vegas Review-Journal)\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>A bill authorizing ride-hailing companies like Uber and Lyft to operate in Nevada won approval early Saturday in the Nevada Legislature, but it didn’t happen without plenty of confusion. A 3 percent excises tax on fares, including on taxis and limousines, was also approved, which will raise tens of millions in new revenue, including $19 million to fully fund the new medical school at UNLV. In Assembly and Senate floor sessions that lasted until the early morning hours on Saturday, the Assembly signed off on Assembly Bill 175, sending it to Gov. Brian Sandoval, who is expected to sign the measure.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>New York City\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.cnbc.com/id/102706872\">Taxi drivers fight back against Uber and Lyft\u003c/a> (CNBC)\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>As valuations for major ride-hailing players including Lyft soar into the billions, the value of traditional taxicab medallions is declining. Medallions are city-issued licenses to operate cabs. But some New York City medallion owners are fighting back. They're trying to craft their own app solutions, albeit with mixed results, and working longer hours to pay the bills.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://nypost.com/2015/05/25/nyc-uber-drivers-converting-cars-to-yellow-taxis/\" target=\"_blank\">NYC Uber drivers converting cars to yellow taxis\u003c/a> (NY Post)\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>Uber drivers are transforming their black cars into taxis as part of a Taxi and Limousine Commission pilot project, The Post has learned. So far, five hacks have gone through with the makeover, and seven more are in the pipeline, the TLC said. ... The program was approved in January, and accepts cars no older than two years, reversing a nearly 20-year-old TLC requirement that only new cars be added to the city’s taxi fleet. ... It comes as Uber cars now outnumber yellow cabs, 14,088 to 13,587, according to TLC data released in March. Taxis still make more trips.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Pittsburgh\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2484605,00.asp\">Uber Testing Self-Driving Car in Pittsburgh? Not Quite\u003c/a> (PC)\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>Is an Uber self-driving car travelling around the greater Pittsburgh area? Unfortunately not. As much as we'd love to see a day when an unmanned vehicle can pick us up and take us on our way (and let us blast our Spotify playlists as loudly as we want), we're not quite there yet. Though news reports have suggested that Uber is testing a self-driving vehicle around Pittsburgh recently, that's not quite the case. That said, Uber does have some test cars driving around—easily discernible by their all-black appearance, Uber logo, and \"Uber Advanced Technologies Center\" branding on the side, in addition to the curious array of sensors and other electronic items attached to the car's roof.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Portland\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.opb.org/news/article/ubers-wheelchair-accessible-option-in-portland-doesnt-work-9-to-5/\" target=\"_blank\">Uber's Wheelchair-Accessible Option In Portland Doesn't Work 9 to 5\u003c/a> (Oregon Public Broadcasting)\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>Four weeks have passed since Uber legally re-launched its service in Portland on April 24, after the city council, in a divided vote, approved a 4-month long experiment in taxi deregulation. ... One of the city’s victories in the negotiations that allowed Uber to re-launch was Uber’s commitment to provide wheelchair-accessible rides. Uber provides some form of wheelchair-accessible service in several other cities, including San Francisco, Chicago and New York, but Portland was the first place where the company agreed to launch its wheelchair option, which it calls the WAV view, from the start. ... Based on their own description of what they offer, Uber’s service appears to fall well short of the city’s requirements that transportation app companies provide equitable service to people with disabilities, including those in wheelchairs. The contractor Uber works with to provide wheelchair vans, First Transit, has no drivers working on the Uber platform during the day on weekdays, and has just one van driver working on call from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Seattle\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.geekwire.com/2015/uber-lyft-may-soon-be-allowed-to-pick-up-passengers-at-seattle-airport/\" target=\"_blank\">Uber, Lyft may soon be allowed to pick up passengers at Seattle airport\u003c/a> (GeekWire)\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>Smartphone owners needing a ride from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport may soon have a few more transportation options. The Port of Seattle has been in negotiations with Uber, Lyft, and Sidecar — also known as “transportation network companies,” or TNCs — and could allow the companies to pick up passengers at Sea-Tac as soon as next month.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Texas\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southcentral/2015/05/21/368968.htm\">Uber Facing Another Setback As Texas Passes on Ridesharing Law\u003c/a> (Bloomberg)\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>Uber Technologies Inc.’s attempt to replace a patchwork of local rules in Texas with a state law regulating its car-booking business is headed for defeat because lawmakers have yet to act on a key measure with only days remaining in the legislative session. Barring a last-minute change of course in the Capitol in Austin, the company will walk away empty-handed in the second- most-populous U.S. state as it seeks to expand after reports this month said a new round of funding would boost its valuation to an estimated $50 billion.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Washington, D.C.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/dr-gridlock/wp/2015/05/21/uber-and-lyft-could-soon-be-operating-at-national-dulles-airports/\" target=\"_blank\">Uber and Lyft could soon be operating at National, Dulles airports\u003c/a> (Washington Post)\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority on Wednesday unveiled a plan to allow the popular app-based car services to operate at both airports. Under the proposal, the airports would designate waiting areas for rideshare vehicles so drivers could arrange trips with passengers while already on the airport premises. This would help reduce the customer wait time for the ride.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://dcinno.streetwise.co/2015/05/26/dc-uber-lyft-regulations-lead-to-taxi-union-lawsuit/\">Can the Taxi Union Get the Courts to Shut down Uber and Lyft in DC?\u003c/a> (DC Inno)\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>Uber, Lyft and Sidecar were given an unfair advantage by the regulations approved last year by the D.C. Council according to the Metro Area Taxi Operators Association. The taxi union, which is affiliated with the Teamsters, filed a class-action lawsuit with six D.C. taxi drivers in U.S. District Court against the city on Friday. The Vehicle-forHire Innovation Amendment Act of 2014 \"creates an irrational, two-tiered regulatory system that unconstitutionally harms the economic and property interests of the Taxicab Service Plaintiffs and similarly situated taxicab permit holders,\" according to the lawsuit.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003ch2>International\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Australia\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/law-order/turf-war-intensifies-between-uber-and-taxis-after-driver-claims-foot-run-over/story-fni0fee2-1227367443781\">Turf war intensifies between Uber and taxis after driver claims foot run over\u003c/a> (Herald Sun)\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>A taxi turf war was behind an alleged dispute that saw an UberX driver run over a young cabbie’s foot in East Melbourne on Saturday night, industry insiders claim. Police are investigating the alleged incident, which Silver Top taxi driver Syed Rizvi says has left him with a bruised and swollen foot and unable to work for at least a month. Uber has hit back at the allegation, saying its driver was “intimidated and physically threatened” by taxi drivers at the scene of the alleged altercation.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.perthnow.com.au/news/western-australia/wa-transport-department-launches-prosecutions-against-19-uber-drivers/story-fnhocxo3-1227369745223\">WA Transport Department launches prosecutions against 19 Uber drivers\u003c/a> (Perth Now)\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>WA’S Department of Transport has ramped up its action against ride-sharing smartphone app Uber, launching 19 more prosecutions against its drivers. A department spokeswoman said on Tuesday the 19 prosecutions were initiated earlier this month for failing to comply with a lawful direction of an authorised officer under the Taxi Act 1994.\u003cbr>\n“These prosecutions are a result of previously issued “notice to produce orders”. As these matters are now before the courts, DoT is not able to provide further comment,” she said. This brings the number of prosecutions against Uber drivers in WA to 20.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>China\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.cnbc.com/id/102705599\">Chinese city of Guangzhou to launch Uber rival service\u003c/a> (CNBC)\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>Guangzhou's municipal government is planning to launch its own Uber-like online taxi hire service, only weeks after police closed the San Francisco-based transport app's office in the southern Chinese city. The new company, Ruyue (meaning \"by appointment\"), will offer rides to customers using a smartphone app. However, the journeys will be provided by the four taxi companies with licences to operate in Guangzhou, which had faced competition from Uber before it was shut.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>France\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.wsj.com/articles/uber-dealt-fresh-blow-by-french-court-1432295784\">Uber Dealt Fresh Blow by French Court\u003c/a> (The Wall Street Journal)\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>Uber Technologies Inc. lost a round in its ongoing legal battles in Europe, when a French court upheld parts of a transport law aimed at reining in the California-based car-hailing firm. The decision is a fresh blow to Uber, which faces a more important ruling on other elements of a law passed last October, in particular one that criminalizes Uber’s low-cost service, Uberpop, which uses drivers without commercial licenses.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Hungary\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://hungarytoday.hu/news/taxi-app-uber-go-business-hungary-tax-authority-sting-24489\" target=\"_blank\">Taxi App Uber Could Go Out Of Business In Hungary After Tax Authority Sting\u003c/a> (Hungary Today)\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>An investigation conducted by the National Tax and Customs Administration has found that all Uber drivers examined broke tax regulations, and hefty fines suggest that the taxi app could go out of business in Hungary. During the first series of checks by tax officers disguised as passengers, conducted in May, the tax authority found that none of the tested drivers had a VAT number or produced an invoice. Drivers failed to install taxi meters in their cars and there were no blank receipts or invoices provided. The drivers, who were found to offer the service in a “business-like” manner, had neither a taxi licence or a certificate of medical condition. Those who were found to break the rules may now be hit by fines up to HUF 200 000 and the tax authority said that it will carry out further checks on every single Uber driver.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Italy\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.irishtimes.com/business/transport-and-tourism/italian-court-bans-unlicensed-taxi-services-like-uber-1.2226506\" target=\"_blank\">Italian court bans unlicensed taxi services like Uber\u003c/a> (Reuters)\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>An Italian court on Tuesday banned unlicensed car-sharing services such as those offered by Uber, in another setback for the fast-growing US car service whose smartphone app summons rides at the touch of a button. Uber has been gaining popularity among passengers seeking lower cost car rides, triggering protests across Europe by heavily regulated traditional taxi drivers. The court in Italy’s business capital Milan said the Uber POP service, which links private drivers with passengers through an easy-to-use smartphone app, created “unfair competition”.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>London, UK\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/technology-science/technology/black-cabbies-prepare-cause-london-5763792\" target=\"_blank\">Black cabbies prepare to cause London gridlock in protest against taxi app Uber\u003c/a> (Mirror)\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>The drivers of London's iconic black cabs will take to the streets this afternoon in a protest against Uber's increasing domination of the taxi industry. Hundreds of cabbies are expected to descend on the Victoria headquarters of Transport for London at 2pm, potentially causing traffic to back up around the city. Today's protest is organised by an organisation called United Cabbies Group, but its concerns are shared across the industry.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Mexico City\u003cbr>\n\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.wsj.com/articles/mexico-city-cabbies-block-streets-to-protest-against-uber-1432593861\">Mexico City Cabbies Block Streets to Protest Against Uber\u003c/a> (Wall Street Journal)\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>Hundreds of taxi drivers blocked main thoroughfares in Mexico City on Monday to demand that authorities crack down on the popular ride-hailing service Uber, which responded by offering free trips throughout the day to its users. The protest against Uber Technologies Inc., its smaller Spain-based counterpart Cabify, and unlicensed cabbies turned parts of the capital’s streets into virtual parking lots dominated by the pink-and-white taxis that are licensed by the city government.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>A woman who says an Uber driver raped her in New Delhi, India, is accusing the company of failing to properly investigate the alleged assailant's background.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a lawsuit filed Thursday in San Francisco, the unidentified woman called Uber's service a \"modern-day equivalent of electronic hitchhiking\" and accused the company of failing to ensure passengers' safety. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The alleged rape last month prompted widespread protests in India against sexual violence and led to demands there for measures to better ensure women's safety. Some protesters have called for Uber to be banned from India entirely.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>New Delhi police have said the company could face criminal charges if it misrepresented the safety of its service, and law enforcement officials have already interviewed a New Delhi-based Uber executive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Our deepest sympathies remain with the victim of this horrific crime,\" Uber spokeswoman Nairi Hourdajian said in a prepared statement. \"We are cooperating fully with the authorities to ensure the perpetrator is brought to justice.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[contextly_sidebar id=\"OGvWaTrAKWsYBVcKSD3RgkOfGu7ht3oC\"]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Thursday's lawsuit adds to the legal woes the San Francisco-based ride-service company is facing around the globe even as it attracts more customers and investors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In California, Uber has been sued by the district attorneys of San Francisco and Los Angeles for allegedly exaggerating the thoroughness of driver background checks. The lawsuit says that Uber can't claim its background checks are the best available because the company doesn't require its drivers to submit fingerprints for checking against a national criminal database.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Dec. 17, Uber's head of global safety posted a long comment on the company's website promising to focus on rider safety while defending the company's safety record.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We are finding solutions in many places that range from polygraph exams that fill gaps in available data to adding our own processes on top of existing screening for commercial licenses,\" wrote company security chief Philip Cardenas. \"We are exploring new ways to screen drivers globally, using scientific analysis and technology to find solutions.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The ride service company, which lets passengers summon cars through a smartphone app, is operating in hundreds of cities in the United States and 53 other countries. The firm, which began operations in 2010, has raised billions in venture capital and is currently valued at more than $40 billion.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>A woman who says an Uber driver raped her in New Delhi, India, is accusing the company of failing to properly investigate the alleged assailant's background.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a lawsuit filed Thursday in San Francisco, the unidentified woman called Uber's service a \"modern-day equivalent of electronic hitchhiking\" and accused the company of failing to ensure passengers' safety. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The alleged rape last month prompted widespread protests in India against sexual violence and led to demands there for measures to better ensure women's safety. Some protesters have called for Uber to be banned from India entirely.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>New Delhi police have said the company could face criminal charges if it misrepresented the safety of its service, and law enforcement officials have already interviewed a New Delhi-based Uber executive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Our deepest sympathies remain with the victim of this horrific crime,\" Uber spokeswoman Nairi Hourdajian said in a prepared statement. \"We are cooperating fully with the authorities to ensure the perpetrator is brought to justice.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Thursday's lawsuit adds to the legal woes the San Francisco-based ride-service company is facing around the globe even as it attracts more customers and investors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In California, Uber has been sued by the district attorneys of San Francisco and Los Angeles for allegedly exaggerating the thoroughness of driver background checks. The lawsuit says that Uber can't claim its background checks are the best available because the company doesn't require its drivers to submit fingerprints for checking against a national criminal database.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Dec. 17, Uber's head of global safety posted a long comment on the company's website promising to focus on rider safety while defending the company's safety record.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"We are finding solutions in many places that range from polygraph exams that fill gaps in available data to adding our own processes on top of existing screening for commercial licenses,\" wrote company security chief Philip Cardenas. \"We are exploring new ways to screen drivers globally, using scientific analysis and technology to find solutions.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The ride service company, which lets passengers summon cars through a smartphone app, is operating in hundreds of cities in the United States and 53 other countries. The firm, which began operations in 2010, has raised billions in venture capital and is currently valued at more than $40 billion.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "workers-in-the-sharing-economy-struggle-to-be-heard",
"title": "What the 'Sharing Economy' Costs Workers",
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"content": "\u003cp>I worked in the so-called sharing economy for about a year, driving for the ride company Lyft. I was doing it to make \u003ca href=\"http://drivingwithstrangers.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a podcast\u003c/a>, and it was a convenient vehicle for that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But I had concerns. It seemed like the income kept falling and would keep falling if no one regulated the number of drivers. I was unsure about insurance coverage. Most of all, I felt like driving for Lyft was taking money out of the pockets of cab drivers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Current Lyft driver Dan Carrigan has some of the same concerns. He says he does not feel like his interests as an individual are a priority for the company, nor does he feel protected.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You can only trust a process to a certain extent,” Carrigan says. “Nobody is taking care of you in this business.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As someone with aspirations to be self-employed — an entrepreneur of some kind — Carrigan is drawn to the sharing economy. There seem to be all kinds of possibilities for people, like running errands on TaskRabbit, providing services through Fiverr, or cleaning houses for Handy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Carrigan started by trying to rent out his apartment on Airbnb, but he stopped because he was worried about getting evicted. So now he is driving for Lyft.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> https://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/radio/RDnews/2019/01/HarnettSharingEcoStruggles2014.mp3\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Carrigan says he drives to pay his bills. He was laid off from his previous job and wanted flexibility while he figured out what to do next. At first it seemed great, and he thought he could do it for a few years. But now he says he has realized there is not enough stability because as a driver he is replaceable.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You’re part of a pool, you are really part of a pool,” Carrigan says, “so if suddenly companies could pay much less to drivers, and there were still drivers willing to drive for that rate, they would. And the rates are going lower and lower and lower.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lyft Says It’s Listening\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lyft says it listens to drivers, and that it has recently improved the tipping system. In the summer, Lyft let drivers keep all their earnings. But now it takes a 20 percent commission on each fare.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lyft representative Katie Dally told KQED via email:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Lyft’s commission is 20 percent of each trip cost — and drivers keep 100 percent of tips from passengers. Lyft is also the only ridesharing platform to offer drivers an opportunity to earn a percentage of their weekly earnings as a bonus. The more drivers drive, the more they can earn, up to 20 percent.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In other words, if they drive enough, they earn back the commission.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Carrigan says he makes between $25 and $31 an hour, and that is before insurance, gas, taxes and car upkeep. It is less than I made a year ago, and Carrigan says the income continues to fall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_10382936\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 400px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/12/RS13765_Dan-Carrigan.JPG.jpg-alt_209.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-10382936\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/12/RS13765_Dan-Carrigan.JPG.jpg-alt_209-400x300.jpg\" alt=\"Dan Carrigan drives for Lyft to help pay the bills. (Sam Harnett/KQED)\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/12/RS13765_Dan-Carrigan.JPG.jpg-alt_209-400x300.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/12/RS13765_Dan-Carrigan.JPG.jpg-alt_209-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/12/RS13765_Dan-Carrigan.JPG.jpg-alt_209.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dan Carrigan drives for Lyft to help pay the bills. (Sam Harnett/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>As for earning the bonuses for logging more hours, Carrigan says that makes it more like a regular job, which is not what he signed up for.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It would be nice to know that I could do this for a while without it changing,” Carrigan says, “but the way things are now, I’m looking for work.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Union Organizing Begins\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In Los Angeles, some drivers for Lyft’s competitor, Uber, are trying to organize a union so they can achieve more stability and a stronger voice within the company.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A local chapter of the Teamsters union is giving them support and advice. Teamsters spokesman Galen Munroe says that when it comes down to it, this is just the same old story — companies using part-time workers to cut costs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These companies “don’t want the responsibilities or the costs associated with direct employees,” Munroe says, “and to a certain degree we feel that this is misclassification.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There is a fine line between contract worker and employee, and it is causing trouble for these new gig sites. Uber faces \u003ca href=\"http://www.scribd.com/doc/250503465/O-Connor-Et-Al-v-Uber-Technologies-Inc-Et-Al-11-12-14-Amended-Complaint\">lawsuits\u003c/a>, as does \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Handy-com-housecleaners-lawsuit-could-rock-5891672.php\">Handy\u003c/a>. The \u003ca href=\"http://www.scribd.com/doc/250504957/O-Connor-Et-Al-v-Uber-Technologies-Inc-Et-Al-11-25-14-Defendant-s-Answer-to-Amended-Complaint\">claims\u003c/a> are that they control workers like employees, but do not give them benefits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That is the dark side of these companies, says Gerald Friedman, economics professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Friedman adds that by cleverly branding this work as the sharing economy, these tech companies are normalizing what is really unprotected, deregulated contract labor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Friedman says these tech platforms are “used to deny workers protections that we established in the New Deal era to protect people against unemployment, health crisis and to protect people’s work safety.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The way the gigs on these sites are pitched, Friedman says, sounds kind of like the worker utopia described by Karl Marx, where one could hunt in the morning, fish in the afternoon, and do criticism in the evening, without having to become a hunter, a fisherman or a critic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That kind of flexibility is desirable, he says, but in our modern capitalist society such gig work brings a harsh reality of less protection and more instability.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To that charge, Lyft makes the case that its workers can purchase health insurance on their own now, with the Affordable Care Act. And the \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Lyft-plays-Whac-a-Mole-with-regulators-nationwide-5958762.php\">company says\u003c/a> drivers work for them precisely because they don’t want an employer, or because they already have one and just want to make money on the side. The point here is the freedom that Lyft provides.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Impacts on Taxi Drivers\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2013/11/07/taxis-lyft-ride-service-war-on-streets-of-san-francisco\">Of course what may be freedom for the ride-service drivers has impacts on others,\u003c/a> such as San Francisco cabbie Harbir Batth. He says taxi drivers in this city used to have the kind of gig advertised by these tech companies: flexible decent pay, plus even some protection and stability.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We never had a union. It is kind of a self-employed industry,” Batth says. “Everybody is divided. It’s a cash business, you know.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now Batth says these new, less regulated companies are stealing his business and killing his profession. So, like those Uber drivers in L.A., Batth and others are unionizing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you have done something for 25 or 30 years, you are old,” he says, “you have no other option. You can’t look for a change of career.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Batth has been driving a cab for 22 years, and in 2012, he finally got his dream: a medallion. It allows him to rent a cab to another person, so he can make income without having to drive. It cost $250,000, he says, and Batth borrowed money to make the down payment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I thought I will retire after 10 years or so,” Batth says, “I thought I could pay off the loan and have a little income to live off of. But now it’s all down the drain.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Batth says he would sell the medallion if he could, but now nobody wants to buy one. With a child headed to college and another in third grade, plus the loan payments for the medallion, Batth says he has no option but to keep driving — for less money.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>I worked in the so-called sharing economy for about a year, driving for the ride company Lyft. I was doing it to make \u003ca href=\"http://drivingwithstrangers.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a podcast\u003c/a>, and it was a convenient vehicle for that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But I had concerns. It seemed like the income kept falling and would keep falling if no one regulated the number of drivers. I was unsure about insurance coverage. Most of all, I felt like driving for Lyft was taking money out of the pockets of cab drivers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Current Lyft driver Dan Carrigan has some of the same concerns. He says he does not feel like his interests as an individual are a priority for the company, nor does he feel protected.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You can only trust a process to a certain extent,” Carrigan says. “Nobody is taking care of you in this business.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As someone with aspirations to be self-employed — an entrepreneur of some kind — Carrigan is drawn to the sharing economy. There seem to be all kinds of possibilities for people, like running errands on TaskRabbit, providing services through Fiverr, or cleaning houses for Handy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Carrigan started by trying to rent out his apartment on Airbnb, but he stopped because he was worried about getting evicted. So now he is driving for Lyft.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> https://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/radio/RDnews/2019/01/HarnettSharingEcoStruggles2014.mp3\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Carrigan says he drives to pay his bills. He was laid off from his previous job and wanted flexibility while he figured out what to do next. At first it seemed great, and he thought he could do it for a few years. But now he says he has realized there is not enough stability because as a driver he is replaceable.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You’re part of a pool, you are really part of a pool,” Carrigan says, “so if suddenly companies could pay much less to drivers, and there were still drivers willing to drive for that rate, they would. And the rates are going lower and lower and lower.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lyft Says It’s Listening\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lyft says it listens to drivers, and that it has recently improved the tipping system. In the summer, Lyft let drivers keep all their earnings. But now it takes a 20 percent commission on each fare.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lyft representative Katie Dally told KQED via email:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Lyft’s commission is 20 percent of each trip cost — and drivers keep 100 percent of tips from passengers. Lyft is also the only ridesharing platform to offer drivers an opportunity to earn a percentage of their weekly earnings as a bonus. The more drivers drive, the more they can earn, up to 20 percent.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In other words, if they drive enough, they earn back the commission.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Carrigan says he makes between $25 and $31 an hour, and that is before insurance, gas, taxes and car upkeep. It is less than I made a year ago, and Carrigan says the income continues to fall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_10382936\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 400px\">\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/12/RS13765_Dan-Carrigan.JPG.jpg-alt_209.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-10382936\" src=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/12/RS13765_Dan-Carrigan.JPG.jpg-alt_209-400x300.jpg\" alt=\"Dan Carrigan drives for Lyft to help pay the bills. (Sam Harnett/KQED)\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/12/RS13765_Dan-Carrigan.JPG.jpg-alt_209-400x300.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/12/RS13765_Dan-Carrigan.JPG.jpg-alt_209-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/12/RS13765_Dan-Carrigan.JPG.jpg-alt_209.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dan Carrigan drives for Lyft to help pay the bills. (Sam Harnett/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>As for earning the bonuses for logging more hours, Carrigan says that makes it more like a regular job, which is not what he signed up for.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It would be nice to know that I could do this for a while without it changing,” Carrigan says, “but the way things are now, I’m looking for work.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Union Organizing Begins\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In Los Angeles, some drivers for Lyft’s competitor, Uber, are trying to organize a union so they can achieve more stability and a stronger voice within the company.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A local chapter of the Teamsters union is giving them support and advice. Teamsters spokesman Galen Munroe says that when it comes down to it, this is just the same old story — companies using part-time workers to cut costs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These companies “don’t want the responsibilities or the costs associated with direct employees,” Munroe says, “and to a certain degree we feel that this is misclassification.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There is a fine line between contract worker and employee, and it is causing trouble for these new gig sites. Uber faces \u003ca href=\"http://www.scribd.com/doc/250503465/O-Connor-Et-Al-v-Uber-Technologies-Inc-Et-Al-11-12-14-Amended-Complaint\">lawsuits\u003c/a>, as does \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Handy-com-housecleaners-lawsuit-could-rock-5891672.php\">Handy\u003c/a>. The \u003ca href=\"http://www.scribd.com/doc/250504957/O-Connor-Et-Al-v-Uber-Technologies-Inc-Et-Al-11-25-14-Defendant-s-Answer-to-Amended-Complaint\">claims\u003c/a> are that they control workers like employees, but do not give them benefits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That is the dark side of these companies, says Gerald Friedman, economics professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Friedman adds that by cleverly branding this work as the sharing economy, these tech companies are normalizing what is really unprotected, deregulated contract labor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Friedman says these tech platforms are “used to deny workers protections that we established in the New Deal era to protect people against unemployment, health crisis and to protect people’s work safety.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The way the gigs on these sites are pitched, Friedman says, sounds kind of like the worker utopia described by Karl Marx, where one could hunt in the morning, fish in the afternoon, and do criticism in the evening, without having to become a hunter, a fisherman or a critic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That kind of flexibility is desirable, he says, but in our modern capitalist society such gig work brings a harsh reality of less protection and more instability.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To that charge, Lyft makes the case that its workers can purchase health insurance on their own now, with the Affordable Care Act. And the \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Lyft-plays-Whac-a-Mole-with-regulators-nationwide-5958762.php\">company says\u003c/a> drivers work for them precisely because they don’t want an employer, or because they already have one and just want to make money on the side. The point here is the freedom that Lyft provides.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Impacts on Taxi Drivers\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2013/11/07/taxis-lyft-ride-service-war-on-streets-of-san-francisco\">Of course what may be freedom for the ride-service drivers has impacts on others,\u003c/a> such as San Francisco cabbie Harbir Batth. He says taxi drivers in this city used to have the kind of gig advertised by these tech companies: flexible decent pay, plus even some protection and stability.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We never had a union. It is kind of a self-employed industry,” Batth says. “Everybody is divided. It’s a cash business, you know.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now Batth says these new, less regulated companies are stealing his business and killing his profession. So, like those Uber drivers in L.A., Batth and others are unionizing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you have done something for 25 or 30 years, you are old,” he says, “you have no other option. You can’t look for a change of career.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Batth has been driving a cab for 22 years, and in 2012, he finally got his dream: a medallion. It allows him to rent a cab to another person, so he can make income without having to drive. It cost $250,000, he says, and Batth borrowed money to make the down payment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I thought I will retire after 10 years or so,” Batth says, “I thought I could pay off the loan and have a little income to live off of. But now it’s all down the drain.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Batth says he would sell the medallion if he could, but now nobody wants to buy one. With a child headed to college and another in third grade, plus the loan payments for the medallion, Batth says he has no option but to keep driving — for less money.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Prosecutors in San Francisco and Los Angeles on Tuesday filed a lawsuit against Uber over the ride-service company's background checks and other allegations, adding to the popular startup's worldwide legal challenges.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Francisco County District Attorney George Gascón, meanwhile, said Uber competitor Lyft agreed to pay $500,000 and change some of its business practices to settle its own lawsuit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Los Angeles District Attorney Jackie Lacey partnered with Gascón in a probe of the nascent ride-service industry. A third company — Sidecar — is still under investigation and could face a lawsuit of its own if it can't reach an agreement with prosecutors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Uber faces similar legal issues elsewhere as it tries to expand in cities, states and countries around the world.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The companies use smartphone apps that allow passengers to order rides in privately driven cars instead of taxis. All three are based in San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Uber, Lyft and Sidecar earlier were threatened with legal action in San Francisco and Los Angeles over how they screened drivers and charged passengers, along with other business practices. In September, the cities' district attorneys sent letters to the three companies warning they could face legal action if they failed to change the practices.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Following the prosecutors' announcement, Uber issued the following statement:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>Californians and California lawmakers all agree--Uber is an integral, safe, and established part of the transportation ecosystem in the Golden State. Uber has met with the District Attorneys to address their concerns regarding airport operations, the uberPOOL product, background checks, and operation of the app. We will continue to engage in discussions with the District Attorneys.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Update, Wednesday 10:30 a.m.:\u003c/strong> The other shoe hasn't fallen yet in Uber's ReporterGate. Emil Michael, the senior vice president who suggested spying on and discrediting journalists critical of the company still apparently has his job. But the company is being strafed with a string of reports on its culture and alleged privacy violations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003cem>Los Angeles Times\u003c/em> reviews the latest stories here: \u003ca href=\"http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-uber-controversy-20141119-story.html\">Uber -- as drivers get perks, riders lose patience with privacy snafus\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003cem>LAT\u003c/em> list includes \u003ca href=\"http://www.businessinsider.com/uber-employee-competencies-fierceness-and-super-pumpedness-2014-11\" target=\"_blank\">a must-read item from \u003cem>Business Insider\u003c/em>\u003c/a> on the qualities the company most values in employees. In addition to standard checklist items like \"vision\" and \"innovation\" -- aren't we all visionary innovators now? -- Uber wants to see \"fierceness\" and \"super-pumpedness\" in its workers. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Original post (Tuesday, Nov. 19):\u003c/strong> Uber CEO Travis Kalanick is trying to get ahead of the avalanche of criticism roaring down on the ride-service company -- by issuing a 14-tweet explanation/manifesto/apology about a fellow Uber exec's musings about playing dirty tricks on journalists.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here's a taste of Kalanick's Twitter epic:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://twitter.com/travisk/status/534790695157248000\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More from the Uber CEO later. But first, how did we get here?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kalanick's, and Uber's, crisis was sparked by \u003ca href=\"http://www.buzzfeed.com/bensmith/uber-executive-suggests-digging-up-dirt-on-journalists\" target=\"_blank\">BuzzFeed's account\u003c/a> of a dinner the company sponsored for \"an influential New York crowd\" last Friday night. Kalanick was in attendance, as was a senior vice president named Emil Michael. Here's BuzzFeed's account of Michael's remarks:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>[H]e outlined the notion of spending “a million dollars” to hire four top opposition researchers and four journalists. That team could, he said, help Uber fight back against the press — they’d look into “your personal lives, your families,” and give the media a taste of its own medicine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Michael was particularly focused on one journalist, Sarah Lacy, the editor of the Silicon Valley website PandoDaily, a sometimes combative voice inside the industry. Lacy recently accused Uber of “sexism and misogyny.” She wrote that she was deleting her Uber app after BuzzFeed News reported that Uber appeared to be working with a French escort service. “I don’t know how many more signals we need that the company simply doesn’t respect us or prioritize our safety,” she wrote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the dinner, Michael expressed outrage at Lacy’s column and said that women are far more likely to get assaulted by taxi drivers than Uber drivers. He said that he thought Lacy should be held “personally responsible” for any woman who followed her lead in deleting Uber and was then sexually assaulted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then he returned to the opposition research plan. Uber’s dirt-diggers, Michael said, could expose Lacy. They could, in particular, prove a particular and very specific claim about her personal life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Michael at no point suggested that Uber has actually hired opposition researchers, or that it plans to. He cast it as something that would make sense, that the company would be justified in doing.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>When someone suggested that carrying out such a plan might create problems for Uber, BuzzFeed reported, Michael said, \"Nobody would know it was us.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The BuzzFeed report prompted a scathing response from \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/sarahcuda\" target=\"_blank\">Lacy\u003c/a> on PandoDaily: \"\u003ca href=\"http://pando.com/2014/11/17/the-moment-i-learned-just-how-far-uber-will-go-to-silence-journalists-and-attack-women/\" target=\"_blank\">The moment I learned just how far Uber will go to silence journalists and attack women.\u003c/a>\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And Tuesday on KQED's \u003cem>Forum\u003c/em>, Lacy said she attributed Michael's remarks to a company culture she says is essentially hostile to women.\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>\"... You know, there was a really disturbing [advertising] campaign that was put out in Uber France office that was essentially treating female drivers like prostitutes. And it was incredibly disturbing. Everyone was bothered by that. BuzzFeed wrote about it. When I saw it, yeah, I saw the culmination of two-year company’s culture growing from something that was cute and fratty and funny when it launched to something that is quite disturbing that remains unchecked in the company. And as a woman I simply didn’t feel safe getting in the cars. Again, no on was fired for that. And when you’re sending a message out to drivers and riders, and you’re frankly sending it to corporate executives, that treating a woman like a prostitute is funny, it’s really scary.\"\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\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/177544871&color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lacy also said that Michael's remarks made her fear for her family's safety. \"It’s been a crazy 24 hours of changing a lot of the security in my house, a lot of the security protocols around my kids,\" Lacy said. \"As you know, I’ve been covering Silicon Valley for a very long time, writing critical things about lots of powerful people, and this is an extreme one, even for me.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The BuzzFeed story and Lacy's response touched off a flurry of official Uber responses cast more as explanations than apologies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The remarks attributed to me at a private dinner -- borne out of frustration during an informal debate over what I feel is sensationalistic media coverage of the company I am proud to work for -- do not reflect my actual views and have no relation to the company’s views or approach,\" Michael said in a statement released by the company. \"They were wrong no matter the circumstance and I regret them.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Company spokeswoman Nairi Hourdajian added: \"We have not, do not and will not investigate journalists. Those remarks have no basis in the reality of our approach.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Michael, in \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/emilmichael/status/534579297449955329\" target=\"_blank\">a Twitter conversation with critics\u003c/a> Tuesday night, \u003cem>did\u003c/em> offer an apology to Lacy:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://twitter.com/emilmichael/status/534580244095959040\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And that, finally, leads us back to Kalanick's \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/travisk/status/534789412094496768\" target=\"_blank\">Twitter War&Peace\u003c/a>. The CEO starts out by calling Michael's comments \"terrible,\" says the company needs to do a better job showing that it's \"principled and means well,\" and ends with an apology to Lacy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One thing Kalanick doesn't say is whether Michael will keep his job. And here's why you might wonder about that. The company is universally celebrated in the annals of entrepreneurship for its $18 billion market valuation, its rapid inroads into markets worldwide and its seeming determination to sidestep or steamroll opposition wherever it's encountered. But now the company, its attitude and Kalanick's leadership are under all-out media siege, to judge from a few headlines. To wit:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>New York Times Bits blog:\u003c/strong> \u003ca href=\"http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/11/18/emil-michael-of-uber-proposes-digging-into-journalists-private-lives/?_r=0\" target=\"_blank\">Uber Executive's Comments Leave Company Scrambling\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Slate:\u003c/strong> \u003ca href=\"http://www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox/2014/11/18/uber_comments_on_digging_up_dirt_on_journalists_when_funding_makes_a_tech.html\" target=\"_blank\">Uber Keeps Acting Like It's Invincible. What If It's Not?\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>New York Magazine:\u003c/strong> \u003ca href=\"http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2014/11/acting-like-jerks-not-quite-working-out-for-uber.html\" target=\"_blank\">Acting Like Threatening, Sexist Jerks Not Quite Working Out for Uber\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Business Insider:\u003c/strong> \u003ca href=\"http://www.businessinsider.com/uber-ceo-aplogizes-for-emil-michaels-journalism-comment-2014-11\" target=\"_blank\">Uber CEO Throws Executive Under the Bus for the Company's Latest Face-Plant\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Forbes: \u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"http://www.forbes.com/sites/ellenhuet/2014/11/18/uber-ceo-travis-kalanick-calls-execs-comments-terrible-but-wont-fire-him/\" target=\"_blank\">Uber CEO Travis Kalanick Calls Exec's Comments 'Terrible' But Won't Fire Him\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>PC World:\u003c/strong> \u003ca href=\"http://www.pcworld.com/article/2848628/why-you-should-delete-uber-and-what-to-use-instead.html\" target=\"_blank\">Why You Should Delete Uber, and What to Use Instead\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Update, Wednesday 10:30 a.m.:\u003c/strong> The other shoe hasn't fallen yet in Uber's ReporterGate. Emil Michael, the senior vice president who suggested spying on and discrediting journalists critical of the company still apparently has his job. But the company is being strafed with a string of reports on its culture and alleged privacy violations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003cem>Los Angeles Times\u003c/em> reviews the latest stories here: \u003ca href=\"http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-uber-controversy-20141119-story.html\">Uber -- as drivers get perks, riders lose patience with privacy snafus\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003cem>LAT\u003c/em> list includes \u003ca href=\"http://www.businessinsider.com/uber-employee-competencies-fierceness-and-super-pumpedness-2014-11\" target=\"_blank\">a must-read item from \u003cem>Business Insider\u003c/em>\u003c/a> on the qualities the company most values in employees. In addition to standard checklist items like \"vision\" and \"innovation\" -- aren't we all visionary innovators now? -- Uber wants to see \"fierceness\" and \"super-pumpedness\" in its workers. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Original post (Tuesday, Nov. 19):\u003c/strong> Uber CEO Travis Kalanick is trying to get ahead of the avalanche of criticism roaring down on the ride-service company -- by issuing a 14-tweet explanation/manifesto/apology about a fellow Uber exec's musings about playing dirty tricks on journalists.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here's a taste of Kalanick's Twitter epic:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>More from the Uber CEO later. But first, how did we get here?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kalanick's, and Uber's, crisis was sparked by \u003ca href=\"http://www.buzzfeed.com/bensmith/uber-executive-suggests-digging-up-dirt-on-journalists\" target=\"_blank\">BuzzFeed's account\u003c/a> of a dinner the company sponsored for \"an influential New York crowd\" last Friday night. Kalanick was in attendance, as was a senior vice president named Emil Michael. Here's BuzzFeed's account of Michael's remarks:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>[H]e outlined the notion of spending “a million dollars” to hire four top opposition researchers and four journalists. That team could, he said, help Uber fight back against the press — they’d look into “your personal lives, your families,” and give the media a taste of its own medicine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Michael was particularly focused on one journalist, Sarah Lacy, the editor of the Silicon Valley website PandoDaily, a sometimes combative voice inside the industry. Lacy recently accused Uber of “sexism and misogyny.” She wrote that she was deleting her Uber app after BuzzFeed News reported that Uber appeared to be working with a French escort service. “I don’t know how many more signals we need that the company simply doesn’t respect us or prioritize our safety,” she wrote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the dinner, Michael expressed outrage at Lacy’s column and said that women are far more likely to get assaulted by taxi drivers than Uber drivers. He said that he thought Lacy should be held “personally responsible” for any woman who followed her lead in deleting Uber and was then sexually assaulted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then he returned to the opposition research plan. Uber’s dirt-diggers, Michael said, could expose Lacy. They could, in particular, prove a particular and very specific claim about her personal life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Michael at no point suggested that Uber has actually hired opposition researchers, or that it plans to. He cast it as something that would make sense, that the company would be justified in doing.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>When someone suggested that carrying out such a plan might create problems for Uber, BuzzFeed reported, Michael said, \"Nobody would know it was us.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The BuzzFeed report prompted a scathing response from \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/sarahcuda\" target=\"_blank\">Lacy\u003c/a> on PandoDaily: \"\u003ca href=\"http://pando.com/2014/11/17/the-moment-i-learned-just-how-far-uber-will-go-to-silence-journalists-and-attack-women/\" target=\"_blank\">The moment I learned just how far Uber will go to silence journalists and attack women.\u003c/a>\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And Tuesday on KQED's \u003cem>Forum\u003c/em>, Lacy said she attributed Michael's remarks to a company culture she says is essentially hostile to women.\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>\"... You know, there was a really disturbing [advertising] campaign that was put out in Uber France office that was essentially treating female drivers like prostitutes. And it was incredibly disturbing. Everyone was bothered by that. BuzzFeed wrote about it. When I saw it, yeah, I saw the culmination of two-year company’s culture growing from something that was cute and fratty and funny when it launched to something that is quite disturbing that remains unchecked in the company. And as a woman I simply didn’t feel safe getting in the cars. Again, no on was fired for that. And when you’re sending a message out to drivers and riders, and you’re frankly sending it to corporate executives, that treating a woman like a prostitute is funny, it’s really scary.\"\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\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/177544871&color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lacy also said that Michael's remarks made her fear for her family's safety. \"It’s been a crazy 24 hours of changing a lot of the security in my house, a lot of the security protocols around my kids,\" Lacy said. \"As you know, I’ve been covering Silicon Valley for a very long time, writing critical things about lots of powerful people, and this is an extreme one, even for me.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The BuzzFeed story and Lacy's response touched off a flurry of official Uber responses cast more as explanations than apologies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"The remarks attributed to me at a private dinner -- borne out of frustration during an informal debate over what I feel is sensationalistic media coverage of the company I am proud to work for -- do not reflect my actual views and have no relation to the company’s views or approach,\" Michael said in a statement released by the company. \"They were wrong no matter the circumstance and I regret them.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Company spokeswoman Nairi Hourdajian added: \"We have not, do not and will not investigate journalists. Those remarks have no basis in the reality of our approach.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Michael, in \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/emilmichael/status/534579297449955329\" target=\"_blank\">a Twitter conversation with critics\u003c/a> Tuesday night, \u003cem>did\u003c/em> offer an apology to Lacy:\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>And that, finally, leads us back to Kalanick's \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/travisk/status/534789412094496768\" target=\"_blank\">Twitter War&Peace\u003c/a>. The CEO starts out by calling Michael's comments \"terrible,\" says the company needs to do a better job showing that it's \"principled and means well,\" and ends with an apology to Lacy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One thing Kalanick doesn't say is whether Michael will keep his job. And here's why you might wonder about that. The company is universally celebrated in the annals of entrepreneurship for its $18 billion market valuation, its rapid inroads into markets worldwide and its seeming determination to sidestep or steamroll opposition wherever it's encountered. But now the company, its attitude and Kalanick's leadership are under all-out media siege, to judge from a few headlines. To wit:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>New York Times Bits blog:\u003c/strong> \u003ca href=\"http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/11/18/emil-michael-of-uber-proposes-digging-into-journalists-private-lives/?_r=0\" target=\"_blank\">Uber Executive's Comments Leave Company Scrambling\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Slate:\u003c/strong> \u003ca href=\"http://www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox/2014/11/18/uber_comments_on_digging_up_dirt_on_journalists_when_funding_makes_a_tech.html\" target=\"_blank\">Uber Keeps Acting Like It's Invincible. What If It's Not?\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>New York Magazine:\u003c/strong> \u003ca href=\"http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2014/11/acting-like-jerks-not-quite-working-out-for-uber.html\" target=\"_blank\">Acting Like Threatening, Sexist Jerks Not Quite Working Out for Uber\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Business Insider:\u003c/strong> \u003ca href=\"http://www.businessinsider.com/uber-ceo-aplogizes-for-emil-michaels-journalism-comment-2014-11\" target=\"_blank\">Uber CEO Throws Executive Under the Bus for the Company's Latest Face-Plant\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Forbes: \u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"http://www.forbes.com/sites/ellenhuet/2014/11/18/uber-ceo-travis-kalanick-calls-execs-comments-terrible-but-wont-fire-him/\" target=\"_blank\">Uber CEO Travis Kalanick Calls Exec's Comments 'Terrible' But Won't Fire Him\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>PC World:\u003c/strong> \u003ca href=\"http://www.pcworld.com/article/2848628/why-you-should-delete-uber-and-what-to-use-instead.html\" target=\"_blank\">Why You Should Delete Uber, and What to Use Instead\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"http://www.buzzfeed.com/bensmith/uber-executive-suggests-digging-up-dirt-on-journalists\" target=\"_blank\">Uber executive suggests digging up dirt on journalists \u003c/a>(Buzzfeed):\u003cbr>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>A senior executive at Uber suggested that the company should consider hiring a team of opposition researchers to dig up dirt on its critics in the media — and specifically to spread details of the personal life of a female journalist who has criticized the company. The executive, Emil Michael, made the comments in a conversation he later said he believed was off the record. In a statement through Uber Monday evening, he said he regretted them and that they didn’t reflect his or the company’s views. \u003ca href=\"http://www.buzzfeed.com/bensmith/uber-executive-suggests-digging-up-dirt-on-journalists\" target=\"_blank\">Full story\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"http://pando.com/2014/11/17/the-moment-i-learned-just-how-far-uber-will-go-to-silence-journalists-and-attack-women/\" target=\"_blank\">The moment I learned just how far Uber will go to silence journalists and attack women\u003c/a> (Pando Daily):\u003cbr>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>A \"horrifying scoop\" in Buzzfeed details the lengths that at least one Uber executive, Emil Michael, was willing to go to discredit anyone– particularly a woman– who may try to question how Uber operates. Ruining her life? Manufacturing lies? Going after her family? Apparently it’s all part of what Uber has described as its “political campaign” to build a $30 billion (and counting) tech company. A campaign that David Plouffe was hired to “run,” that’s looking more like a pathetic version of play acting House of Cards than a real campaign run by a real political professional. Because step one of an illegal smear campaign against a woman is: Don’t brag about it to a journalist at a party. \u003ca href=\"http://pando.com/2014/11/17/the-moment-i-learned-just-how-far-uber-will-go-to-silence-journalists-and-attack-women/\" target=\"_blank\">Full story\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"http://www.buzzfeed.com/johanabhuiyan/ubers-travis-kalanick-takes-charm-offensive-to-new-york-city\" target=\"_blank\">Uber's Travis Kalanick takes 'charm offensive' to New York City\u003c/a> (Buzzfeed):\u003cbr>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>Travis Kalanick, CEO of the hotly covered tech juggernaut Uber — whose relations with the media have been rocky — was in New York City Friday meeting with reporters, the latest episode in an apparent charm offensive. ... The event, the substance of which was off-the-record by agreement, appears to be part of a new approach by the confrontational company, which recently brought on former Obama aide David Plouffe to help shape its image. \u003ca href=\"http://www.buzzfeed.com/johanabhuiyan/ubers-travis-kalanick-takes-charm-offensive-to-new-york-city\" target=\"_blank\">Full story\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"http://techcrunch.com/2014/11/17/the-best-way-to-get-people-on-your-side-is-to-annoy-them/\" target=\"_blank\">Cabs cause gridlock at SFO to protest Uber, Lyft and Sidecar\u003c/a> (TechCrunch):\u003cbr>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>At San Francisco International Airport this evening, a large group of Bay Area taxi drivers has decided to make picking passengers up nearly impossible in an effort to protest the airport’s recent decision to allow ride-sharing companies to operate on its premises. But according to reports on Twitter, the protest has not only limited the use of alternative ride-hailing apps at SFO, but it has caused gridlock for anyone trying to get in or out of the airport’s terminals. \u003ca href=\"http://techcrunch.com/2014/11/17/the-best-way-to-get-people-on-your-side-is-to-annoy-them/\" target=\"_blank\">Full story\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"http://www.mercurynews.com/crime-courts/ci_26956121/san-jose-report-says-sjpd-ranks-could-fall\" target=\"_blank\">Report: San Jose Police Department ranks could fall to 1985 levels\u003c/a> (San Jose Mercury News):\u003cbr>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>The number of San Jose police officers will fall to the lowest in three decades if current trends continue unabated, and even that projection hinges on an optimistic view of the agency's ability to retain officers and recruit new blood, according to a new report. A department report produced for Tuesday's City Council meeting estimates that with current attrition and hiring, the number of sworn staff will drop from the current 1,010 down to 988 by July, which would mark the first time since 1985 that the force steadily fielded fewer than 1,000 officers. That same model projects a sworn staff of 949 by July 2017. \u003ca href=\"http://www.mercurynews.com/crime-courts/ci_26956121/san-jose-report-says-sjpd-ranks-could-fall\" target=\"_blank\">Full story\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"http://bigstory.ap.org/article/21b7a5db4a0a435eb17850be6883e5a8/ntsb-govt-aircraft-regulations-apply-drones\" target=\"_blank\">NTSB: Government aircraft regulations apply to drones -- even tiny ones\u003c/a> (Associated Press):\u003cbr>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>The government has the power to hold drone operators accountable when they operate the remote-control aircraft recklessly, a federal safety board ruled Tuesday in a setback to small drone operators chafing under Federal Aviation Administration restrictions. The FAA had fined Raphael Pirker, an aerial photographer, $10,000 for operating his Ritewing Zephyr in a reckless manner on the University of Virginia campus in 2011. An administrative law judge with the National Transportation Safety Board, which hears appeals of Federal Aviation Administration enforcement actions, sided with Pirker earlier this year, saying the FAA hasn't issued any regulations specifically for drones and therefore can't determine their use. \u003ca href=\"http://bigstory.ap.org/article/21b7a5db4a0a435eb17850be6883e5a8/ntsb-govt-aircraft-regulations-apply-drones\" target=\"_blank\">Full story\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/total_forecast/getprod.php?prod=XXXAFDMTR&wfo=MTR\" target=\"_blank\">Rain -- rain! -- on the way\u003c/a> (National Weather Service Area Forecast Discussion):\u003cbr>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>A series of Pacific storms systems are forecast to impact the region through late week, bringing periods of unsettled weather. The first chance of rain will start this evening and continue into Wednesday. \u003ca href=\"http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/total_forecast/getprod.php?prod=XXXAFDMTR&wfo=MTR\" target=\"_blank\">Full story\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"http://www.weatherwest.com/archives/1967\" target=\"_blank\">A dry start to autumn for most of California; prospects for rain murky\u003c/a> (California Weather Blog):\u003cbr>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>A rather extraordinary sequence of atmospheric events has unfolded over the Pacific Ocean and across adjacent North America over the past week or so. The current pattern is strongly reminiscent of the extremely high amplitude wave pattern that dominated most of winter 2013-2014 and the latter half of 2012-2013. While the implications are a little different for California ... the “Warm West/Cool East” pattern ... results in unusually dry and warm conditions in California (while bringing impressive cold and snow to areas from the Rocky Mountains eastward). \u003ca href=\"http://www.weatherwest.com/archives/1967\" target=\"_blank\">Full story\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_26957582/guest-commentary-oakland-took-giant-step-food-security?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=t.co\" target=\"_blank\">Oakland takes a major step for food security, but much is left to be done\u003c/a> (Oakland Tribune):\u003cbr>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>On Nov. 5, the Oakland City Council unanimously approved changes to the city's agricultural regulations that will facilitate the growing, selling and sharing of food on residential land, removing a costly and extensive permitting process. This is a huge step forward in acknowledging the challenges many Oakland residents face in finding affordable and healthy foods. But it's not enough. \u003ca href=\"http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_26957582/guest-commentary-oakland-took-giant-step-food-security?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=t.co\" target=\"_blank\">Full story\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"http://www.mercurynews.com/sports/ci_26958157/stanford-women-topple-no-1-uconn\" target=\"_blank\">Stanford women end No. 1 UConn's 47-game winning streak\u003c/a> (San Jose Mercury News):\u003cbr>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>Sixth-ranked Stanford burst into the national conversation Monday night by toppling top-ranked Connecticut with a dramatic overtime victory almost no one saw coming. The Cardinal (2-0) showed poise and perseverance in its 88-86 win that ended the Huskies' 47-game win streak in front of 5,367 bedazzled fans. \"People got their money's worth,\" Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer said. \u003ca href=\"http://www.mercurynews.com/sports/ci_26958157/stanford-women-topple-no-1-uconn\" target=\"_blank\">Full story\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"http://www.contracostatimes.com/breaking-news/ci_26959674/saint-marys-beats-new-mexico-state-83-71\" target=\"_blank\">St. Mary's beats New Mexico State 83-71 in midnight game\u003c/a> (San Jose Mercury News):\u003cbr>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>While most of the country slept, Saint Mary's continued its late-night dominance on the basketball court. The Gaels beat New Mexico State 83-71 in a middle-of-the-night Tuesday matchup that was part of ESPN's annual College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon. The win in front of a packed student section and 2,225 fans kept Saint Mary's (2-0) undefeated in six late games at McKeon Pavilion since the event began in 2008. \u003ca href=\"http://www.contracostatimes.com/breaking-news/ci_26959674/saint-marys-beats-new-mexico-state-83-71\" target=\"_blank\">Full story\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"http://www.buzzfeed.com/bensmith/uber-executive-suggests-digging-up-dirt-on-journalists\" target=\"_blank\">Uber executive suggests digging up dirt on journalists \u003c/a>(Buzzfeed):\u003cbr>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>A senior executive at Uber suggested that the company should consider hiring a team of opposition researchers to dig up dirt on its critics in the media — and specifically to spread details of the personal life of a female journalist who has criticized the company. The executive, Emil Michael, made the comments in a conversation he later said he believed was off the record. In a statement through Uber Monday evening, he said he regretted them and that they didn’t reflect his or the company’s views. \u003ca href=\"http://www.buzzfeed.com/bensmith/uber-executive-suggests-digging-up-dirt-on-journalists\" target=\"_blank\">Full story\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"http://pando.com/2014/11/17/the-moment-i-learned-just-how-far-uber-will-go-to-silence-journalists-and-attack-women/\" target=\"_blank\">The moment I learned just how far Uber will go to silence journalists and attack women\u003c/a> (Pando Daily):\u003cbr>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>A \"horrifying scoop\" in Buzzfeed details the lengths that at least one Uber executive, Emil Michael, was willing to go to discredit anyone– particularly a woman– who may try to question how Uber operates. Ruining her life? Manufacturing lies? Going after her family? Apparently it’s all part of what Uber has described as its “political campaign” to build a $30 billion (and counting) tech company. A campaign that David Plouffe was hired to “run,” that’s looking more like a pathetic version of play acting House of Cards than a real campaign run by a real political professional. Because step one of an illegal smear campaign against a woman is: Don’t brag about it to a journalist at a party. \u003ca href=\"http://pando.com/2014/11/17/the-moment-i-learned-just-how-far-uber-will-go-to-silence-journalists-and-attack-women/\" target=\"_blank\">Full story\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"http://www.buzzfeed.com/johanabhuiyan/ubers-travis-kalanick-takes-charm-offensive-to-new-york-city\" target=\"_blank\">Uber's Travis Kalanick takes 'charm offensive' to New York City\u003c/a> (Buzzfeed):\u003cbr>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>Travis Kalanick, CEO of the hotly covered tech juggernaut Uber — whose relations with the media have been rocky — was in New York City Friday meeting with reporters, the latest episode in an apparent charm offensive. ... The event, the substance of which was off-the-record by agreement, appears to be part of a new approach by the confrontational company, which recently brought on former Obama aide David Plouffe to help shape its image. \u003ca href=\"http://www.buzzfeed.com/johanabhuiyan/ubers-travis-kalanick-takes-charm-offensive-to-new-york-city\" target=\"_blank\">Full story\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"http://techcrunch.com/2014/11/17/the-best-way-to-get-people-on-your-side-is-to-annoy-them/\" target=\"_blank\">Cabs cause gridlock at SFO to protest Uber, Lyft and Sidecar\u003c/a> (TechCrunch):\u003cbr>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>At San Francisco International Airport this evening, a large group of Bay Area taxi drivers has decided to make picking passengers up nearly impossible in an effort to protest the airport’s recent decision to allow ride-sharing companies to operate on its premises. But according to reports on Twitter, the protest has not only limited the use of alternative ride-hailing apps at SFO, but it has caused gridlock for anyone trying to get in or out of the airport’s terminals. \u003ca href=\"http://techcrunch.com/2014/11/17/the-best-way-to-get-people-on-your-side-is-to-annoy-them/\" target=\"_blank\">Full story\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"http://www.mercurynews.com/crime-courts/ci_26956121/san-jose-report-says-sjpd-ranks-could-fall\" target=\"_blank\">Report: San Jose Police Department ranks could fall to 1985 levels\u003c/a> (San Jose Mercury News):\u003cbr>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>The number of San Jose police officers will fall to the lowest in three decades if current trends continue unabated, and even that projection hinges on an optimistic view of the agency's ability to retain officers and recruit new blood, according to a new report. A department report produced for Tuesday's City Council meeting estimates that with current attrition and hiring, the number of sworn staff will drop from the current 1,010 down to 988 by July, which would mark the first time since 1985 that the force steadily fielded fewer than 1,000 officers. That same model projects a sworn staff of 949 by July 2017. \u003ca href=\"http://www.mercurynews.com/crime-courts/ci_26956121/san-jose-report-says-sjpd-ranks-could-fall\" target=\"_blank\">Full story\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"http://bigstory.ap.org/article/21b7a5db4a0a435eb17850be6883e5a8/ntsb-govt-aircraft-regulations-apply-drones\" target=\"_blank\">NTSB: Government aircraft regulations apply to drones -- even tiny ones\u003c/a> (Associated Press):\u003cbr>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>The government has the power to hold drone operators accountable when they operate the remote-control aircraft recklessly, a federal safety board ruled Tuesday in a setback to small drone operators chafing under Federal Aviation Administration restrictions. The FAA had fined Raphael Pirker, an aerial photographer, $10,000 for operating his Ritewing Zephyr in a reckless manner on the University of Virginia campus in 2011. An administrative law judge with the National Transportation Safety Board, which hears appeals of Federal Aviation Administration enforcement actions, sided with Pirker earlier this year, saying the FAA hasn't issued any regulations specifically for drones and therefore can't determine their use. \u003ca href=\"http://bigstory.ap.org/article/21b7a5db4a0a435eb17850be6883e5a8/ntsb-govt-aircraft-regulations-apply-drones\" target=\"_blank\">Full story\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/total_forecast/getprod.php?prod=XXXAFDMTR&wfo=MTR\" target=\"_blank\">Rain -- rain! -- on the way\u003c/a> (National Weather Service Area Forecast Discussion):\u003cbr>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>A series of Pacific storms systems are forecast to impact the region through late week, bringing periods of unsettled weather. The first chance of rain will start this evening and continue into Wednesday. \u003ca href=\"http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/total_forecast/getprod.php?prod=XXXAFDMTR&wfo=MTR\" target=\"_blank\">Full story\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"http://www.weatherwest.com/archives/1967\" target=\"_blank\">A dry start to autumn for most of California; prospects for rain murky\u003c/a> (California Weather Blog):\u003cbr>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>A rather extraordinary sequence of atmospheric events has unfolded over the Pacific Ocean and across adjacent North America over the past week or so. The current pattern is strongly reminiscent of the extremely high amplitude wave pattern that dominated most of winter 2013-2014 and the latter half of 2012-2013. While the implications are a little different for California ... the “Warm West/Cool East” pattern ... results in unusually dry and warm conditions in California (while bringing impressive cold and snow to areas from the Rocky Mountains eastward). \u003ca href=\"http://www.weatherwest.com/archives/1967\" target=\"_blank\">Full story\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_26957582/guest-commentary-oakland-took-giant-step-food-security?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=t.co\" target=\"_blank\">Oakland takes a major step for food security, but much is left to be done\u003c/a> (Oakland Tribune):\u003cbr>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>On Nov. 5, the Oakland City Council unanimously approved changes to the city's agricultural regulations that will facilitate the growing, selling and sharing of food on residential land, removing a costly and extensive permitting process. This is a huge step forward in acknowledging the challenges many Oakland residents face in finding affordable and healthy foods. But it's not enough. \u003ca href=\"http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_26957582/guest-commentary-oakland-took-giant-step-food-security?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=t.co\" target=\"_blank\">Full story\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"http://www.mercurynews.com/sports/ci_26958157/stanford-women-topple-no-1-uconn\" target=\"_blank\">Stanford women end No. 1 UConn's 47-game winning streak\u003c/a> (San Jose Mercury News):\u003cbr>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>Sixth-ranked Stanford burst into the national conversation Monday night by toppling top-ranked Connecticut with a dramatic overtime victory almost no one saw coming. The Cardinal (2-0) showed poise and perseverance in its 88-86 win that ended the Huskies' 47-game win streak in front of 5,367 bedazzled fans. \"People got their money's worth,\" Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer said. \u003ca href=\"http://www.mercurynews.com/sports/ci_26958157/stanford-women-topple-no-1-uconn\" target=\"_blank\">Full story\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"http://www.contracostatimes.com/breaking-news/ci_26959674/saint-marys-beats-new-mexico-state-83-71\" target=\"_blank\">St. Mary's beats New Mexico State 83-71 in midnight game\u003c/a> (San Jose Mercury News):\u003cbr>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>While most of the country slept, Saint Mary's continued its late-night dominance on the basketball court. The Gaels beat New Mexico State 83-71 in a middle-of-the-night Tuesday matchup that was part of ESPN's annual College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon. The win in front of a packed student section and 2,225 fans kept Saint Mary's (2-0) undefeated in six late games at McKeon Pavilion since the event began in 2008. \u003ca href=\"http://www.contracostatimes.com/breaking-news/ci_26959674/saint-marys-beats-new-mexico-state-83-71\" target=\"_blank\">Full story\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"disqusTitle": "Uber, Lyft Fallout: Taxi Rides Plunge in San Francisco",
"title": "Uber, Lyft Fallout: Taxi Rides Plunge in San Francisco",
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"content": "\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_120383\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\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=\"640\" height=\"427\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Taxis in downtown San Francisco (Sara Bloomberg/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>One of the major consequences of the explosive growth of Uber, Lyft and the ride-service industry has been the \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2013/11/07/taxis-lyft-ride-service-war-on-streets-of-san-francisco\" target=\"_blank\">economic fallout to the taxi industry\u003c/a>, both companies and drivers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In San Francisco, so many customers have deserted taxis for ride-service firms that Hansu Kim, owner of DeSoto Cab, has been \u003ca href=\"http://news.kron4.com/news/sf-cab-company-considers-makeover-to-compete-with-unregulated-car-services/\" target=\"_blank\">talking about exiting the business and remaking his fleet as a sedan service\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, many drivers have told us they'd taken a 33 percent haircut in terms of income, and we even talked to one 28-year cab veteran, Brad Newsham, who quit last year because his profits had fallen to about $5 per hour, which is less than half of the city's minimum wage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, thanks to a \u003ca href=\"http://sanfrancisco.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=55&clip_id=20973&meta_id=403941\" target=\"_blank\">presentation\u003c/a> to the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency on Tuesday regarding the status of the cab industry, we've got some hard numbers to illustrate just how severe the decline in taxi ridership has been.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the presentation, Kate Toran, the new director of the agency's Taxis and Accessible Services Division, said the average number of trips per taxi in the city had declined a whopping 65 percent from March 2012 to July 2014 -- from 1,424 per month to 504.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignleft\">Average number of trips per taxi has declined 65 percent over two years.\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>Similarly, total rides in wheelchair-accessible taxis, which are more costly to operate, have fallen by about 56 percent over the past 15 months, from 1,378 per month in March 2013 to 768 this July.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That's a concern because the inaccessibility of ride-service vehicles, which are, after all, just drivers' personal cars being used to transport paying passengers, has been \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/As-Uber-Lyft-Sidecar-grow-so-do-concerns-of-5240889.php\" target=\"_blank\">an issue.\u003c/a> The accessibility plans that ride-service companies were required to file by the California Public Utilities Commission have so far been on the thin side. (Here are \u003ca href=\"http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/NR/rdonlyres/193E3DA4-D0FF-497A-8E26-EDAC1C1339FE/0/UberAccessibilityPlan.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">Uber's\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/NR/rdonlyres/B0398419-190C-4B4B-A89B-ED113E6CB9B5/0/LyftAccessibilityPlan.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">Lyft's\u003c/a>.) Updates on these plans are due on Friday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Toran said that in response to the severe decline in ridership, the city's taxi division is waiving certain fees, like the one for a driver application, and reducing others, like the fee for medallion renewal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Toran did indicate one sign of progress for those who have been pushing the industry to modernize: Eighty percent of taxis in the city are now using Flywheel, an app-based hailing tool that is similar to those of the ride services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An alternative app, Curb, is used by 60 percent of cabs. The response time for taxis on Flywheel has been just 3.5 minutes, a significant development in light of the \u003ca href=\"http://www.uctc.net/research/papers/UCTC-FR-2014-08.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">recent paper from UC Berkeley\u003c/a> that found a \u003ca href=\"http://www.forbes.com/sites/ellenhuet/2014/09/08/uber-lyft-cars-arrive-faster-than-taxis/\" target=\"_blank\">marked superiority in the time ride-service\u003c/a> vehicles responded to calls as opposed to taxis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The increased use of apps by the city's taxis wasn't good enough, though, for SFMTA board member Malcolm Heinicke. He wasn't happy that the rate of use wasn't 100 percent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Why aren't they all on one of those apps ... and why aren't we mandating that they all be on one of those or a similarly widespread app?\" he asked. \"We're in a situation of catch-up here. ... I think the public needs to know that there are these apps out there, the public needs to know that these response rates exist.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Why aren't we mandating they all be on an app the way we would have mandated they all be on a sufficiently large radio network back in the last generation of taxi service?\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Toran said she agreed it was a good idea to require that cabs use apps. \"It's the new reality,\" she said. \u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Longtime Cab Driver Still Surviving But Considering Move to Uber \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I asked John Han, a veteran San Francisco cab driver and keen observer of the industry whom we've been talking to on this story, how his income has held up lately, and what his plans are. Last year he told us he tried to make the switch to UberX, Uber's ride-service division, but aborted the attempt after he \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2014/01/20/ride-sharing-insurance-lyft-uberx-sidecar/\" target=\"_blank\">failed to find an insurance company that would cover his car\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Han said he was still hanging in there, despite a drop in the last six months or so. \"I have noticed a decline in my take-home pay, but I'm making enough to not have to think of doing anything drastic,\" he said. \"I'm just making a little less per shift.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He did say, however, that he knows cab drivers who are complaining their income has been cut in half.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I wondered if in light of \u003ca href=\"http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201320140AB2293\" target=\"_blank\">AB2293\u003c/a>, which would expedite the creation of insurance policies, not in existence now, \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/09/02/2014/Uber_Lyft_California_insurance/\" target=\"_blank\">specifically for ride-service drivers\u003c/a>, whether he would again consider switching to a ride service. He said he would:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"When there's total transparency, when I can call an insurance company and say, 'C an you give me the right kind of policy for this kind of work?' and they know it’s an Uber or Lyft vehicle, that’s when i would say, 'Yeah, i think I’m going to do it.' \"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Bill Clark, another longtime cab driver who hit a similar brick wall on insurance when he considered switching to UberX, said he wouldn't try again, even though his income has dropped by about a third over the last two years. Clark said Uber's refusal to cover the accident in San Francisco in which an UberX driver hit and killed a 6-year-old girl has put him off the company for good.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I don't want anything to do with them,\" he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can \u003ca href=\"http://sanfrancisco.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=55&clip_id=20973&meta_id=403942\" target=\"_blank\">watch the presentation on the status of the taxi industry in San Francisco\u003c/a> below:\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "The rise of ride-service companies has resulted in a severe decline in cab ridership.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_120383\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\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=\"640\" height=\"427\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Taxis in downtown San Francisco (Sara Bloomberg/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>One of the major consequences of the explosive growth of Uber, Lyft and the ride-service industry has been the \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2013/11/07/taxis-lyft-ride-service-war-on-streets-of-san-francisco\" target=\"_blank\">economic fallout to the taxi industry\u003c/a>, both companies and drivers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In San Francisco, so many customers have deserted taxis for ride-service firms that Hansu Kim, owner of DeSoto Cab, has been \u003ca href=\"http://news.kron4.com/news/sf-cab-company-considers-makeover-to-compete-with-unregulated-car-services/\" target=\"_blank\">talking about exiting the business and remaking his fleet as a sedan service\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, many drivers have told us they'd taken a 33 percent haircut in terms of income, and we even talked to one 28-year cab veteran, Brad Newsham, who quit last year because his profits had fallen to about $5 per hour, which is less than half of the city's minimum wage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, thanks to a \u003ca href=\"http://sanfrancisco.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=55&clip_id=20973&meta_id=403941\" target=\"_blank\">presentation\u003c/a> to the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency on Tuesday regarding the status of the cab industry, we've got some hard numbers to illustrate just how severe the decline in taxi ridership has been.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the presentation, Kate Toran, the new director of the agency's Taxis and Accessible Services Division, said the average number of trips per taxi in the city had declined a whopping 65 percent from March 2012 to July 2014 -- from 1,424 per month to 504.\u003c/p>\n\u003caside class=\"pullquote alignleft\">Average number of trips per taxi has declined 65 percent over two years.\u003c/aside>\n\u003cp>Similarly, total rides in wheelchair-accessible taxis, which are more costly to operate, have fallen by about 56 percent over the past 15 months, from 1,378 per month in March 2013 to 768 this July.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That's a concern because the inaccessibility of ride-service vehicles, which are, after all, just drivers' personal cars being used to transport paying passengers, has been \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/As-Uber-Lyft-Sidecar-grow-so-do-concerns-of-5240889.php\" target=\"_blank\">an issue.\u003c/a> The accessibility plans that ride-service companies were required to file by the California Public Utilities Commission have so far been on the thin side. (Here are \u003ca href=\"http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/NR/rdonlyres/193E3DA4-D0FF-497A-8E26-EDAC1C1339FE/0/UberAccessibilityPlan.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">Uber's\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/NR/rdonlyres/B0398419-190C-4B4B-A89B-ED113E6CB9B5/0/LyftAccessibilityPlan.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">Lyft's\u003c/a>.) Updates on these plans are due on Friday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Toran said that in response to the severe decline in ridership, the city's taxi division is waiving certain fees, like the one for a driver application, and reducing others, like the fee for medallion renewal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Toran did indicate one sign of progress for those who have been pushing the industry to modernize: Eighty percent of taxis in the city are now using Flywheel, an app-based hailing tool that is similar to those of the ride services.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An alternative app, Curb, is used by 60 percent of cabs. The response time for taxis on Flywheel has been just 3.5 minutes, a significant development in light of the \u003ca href=\"http://www.uctc.net/research/papers/UCTC-FR-2014-08.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">recent paper from UC Berkeley\u003c/a> that found a \u003ca href=\"http://www.forbes.com/sites/ellenhuet/2014/09/08/uber-lyft-cars-arrive-faster-than-taxis/\" target=\"_blank\">marked superiority in the time ride-service\u003c/a> vehicles responded to calls as opposed to taxis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The increased use of apps by the city's taxis wasn't good enough, though, for SFMTA board member Malcolm Heinicke. He wasn't happy that the rate of use wasn't 100 percent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Why aren't they all on one of those apps ... and why aren't we mandating that they all be on one of those or a similarly widespread app?\" he asked. \"We're in a situation of catch-up here. ... I think the public needs to know that there are these apps out there, the public needs to know that these response rates exist.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Why aren't we mandating they all be on an app the way we would have mandated they all be on a sufficiently large radio network back in the last generation of taxi service?\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Toran said she agreed it was a good idea to require that cabs use apps. \"It's the new reality,\" she said. \u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Longtime Cab Driver Still Surviving But Considering Move to Uber \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I asked John Han, a veteran San Francisco cab driver and keen observer of the industry whom we've been talking to on this story, how his income has held up lately, and what his plans are. Last year he told us he tried to make the switch to UberX, Uber's ride-service division, but aborted the attempt after he \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2014/01/20/ride-sharing-insurance-lyft-uberx-sidecar/\" target=\"_blank\">failed to find an insurance company that would cover his car\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Han said he was still hanging in there, despite a drop in the last six months or so. \"I have noticed a decline in my take-home pay, but I'm making enough to not have to think of doing anything drastic,\" he said. \"I'm just making a little less per shift.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He did say, however, that he knows cab drivers who are complaining their income has been cut in half.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I wondered if in light of \u003ca href=\"http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201320140AB2293\" target=\"_blank\">AB2293\u003c/a>, which would expedite the creation of insurance policies, not in existence now, \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/09/02/2014/Uber_Lyft_California_insurance/\" target=\"_blank\">specifically for ride-service drivers\u003c/a>, whether he would again consider switching to a ride service. He said he would:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"When there's total transparency, when I can call an insurance company and say, 'C an you give me the right kind of policy for this kind of work?' and they know it’s an Uber or Lyft vehicle, that’s when i would say, 'Yeah, i think I’m going to do it.' \"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Bill Clark, another longtime cab driver who hit a similar brick wall on insurance when he considered switching to UberX, said he wouldn't try again, even though his income has dropped by about a third over the last two years. Clark said Uber's refusal to cover the accident in San Francisco in which an UberX driver hit and killed a 6-year-old girl has put him off the company for good.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"I don't want anything to do with them,\" he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can \u003ca href=\"http://sanfrancisco.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=55&clip_id=20973&meta_id=403942\" target=\"_blank\">watch the presentation on the status of the taxi industry in San Francisco\u003c/a> below:\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"disqusTitle": "Insurance Rules for Ride Services Like Lyft and UberX May Get Tougher",
"title": "Insurance Rules for Ride Services Like Lyft and UberX May Get Tougher",
"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 in 2013. (Alex Emslie/KQED)\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A protester mocks ride service Lyft and its signature pink mustache at cab driver rally outside San Francisco City Hall in 2013. (Alex Emslie/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In the past two weeks a lot has happened on the increasingly volatile ride-service front. The California Public Utilities Commission will revisit the issue of insurance coverage for drivers who use their cars to carry paying passengers through companies like Lyft and UberX. As a result, these two firms are opposing the changes the CPUC is proposing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On April 10, the CPUC granted a rehearing on the insurance requirements it issued last year. At that time, as part of a decision that laid out rules and regulations for what the commission formally calls transportation network companies, or TNCs, the CPUC required the companies to provide at least $1 million in commercial liability insurance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now the CPUC is considering extending the time period during a driver's shift for which TNC coverage must be valid. A significant gap in this regard came to light on New Year's Eve, after a fatal accident involving an UberX driver in San Francisco. Although the driver's Uber app was open as he waited for another call to come in, Uber said he was excluded from its $1 million policy because he was not carrying a passenger or on the way to pick one up. That left the driver and the victim's family reliant on his much more minimal personal policy, which almost surely won't come near to paying the eventual liability costs. (The family has filed a lawsuit against the driver and Uber.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The CPUC is proposing that this gap be explicitly closed, by adding language that changes the definition of when a driver using his personal vehicle is \"providing TNC services\" to include \"when the TNC app is open and available to accept rides from a subscribing TNC passenger until that app has been closed.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The CPUC hopes to issue specifics about the rehearing in the next few weeks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both Lyft and Uber have filed comments opposing the change. Uber wrote, \"Adoption of this modification would result in a significant expansion of the period in which the TNC insurance requirements would be required.\" More specifically, Uber is objecting to the extension of the $1 million liability insurance requirement to this expanded time period. Last month, Uber said it had \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2014/03/14/uber-lyft-insurance/\" target=\"_blank\">expanded its insurance\u003c/a> to include a new policy that partially closes this gap, providing coverage for drivers logged onto its app but not currently on a call. However, the new policy's liability limit for drivers in that situation is only $50,000, a fraction of the $1 million the CPUC is now considering. Lyft \u003ca href=\"http://blog.lyft.com/posts/2014/4/11/lyft-insurance-overview\" target=\"_blank\">announced\u003c/a> on April 11 that it had added similar coverage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Uber wrote to the CPUC that requiring its insurance to cover the expanded period would be problematic, citing a scenario in which drivers have \"contracted with multiple TNCs and keeps all applications open at all times, in order to maximize the likelihood of procuring a (request).\" The company also wrote that the change might incentivize drivers to \"(keep) the App open at all times, regardless of the drivers' intent to accept a request for transportation service...solely to obtain the benefit from the increased insurance....\" Uber also speculated that drivers not engaged in TNC work might turn on the app \"immediately following an accident in order to try to secure the potentially significant financial benefit of the higher limits....\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lyft has similar objections: \"(A) TNC driver could forget to close the app and be considered to be 'providing TNC services' in the middle of the night when the car is parked on the street and the driver is sleeping, or when the vehicle is being driven by another household member, or when it is being used to transport a driver's child to soccer practice.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition, the CPUC proposal would require TNCs to add the following coverages:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Provide $1 million per-incident coverage in uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage, if there's an accident where the driver of another vehicle is at fault and does not have the proper insurance (UberX and Lyft say they already offer this.)\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Provide $50,000 in comprehensive coverage related to theft, fire, natural disasters, vandalism and similar circumstances that can cause damage to a TNC vehicle. (Uber says it offers this.)\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Provide $50,000 in collision coverage, related to damage to the driver's own vehicle when the TNC driver is at fault. (Lyft and Uber say they provide this coverage currently, but only if drivers have purchased it on their personal policies.)\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Provide $5,000 in medical payments coverage, related to expenses due to bodily injury of TNC drivers or their passengers\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Department of Insurance Slams TNCs\u003cbr>\n\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As we \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2013/11/14/who-pays-when-ride-share-driver-crashes\" target=\"_blank\">reported\u003c/a> last year, a number of other issues have emerged concerning TNC insurance:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Ride-service companies like Lyft and UberX say drivers’ personal insurance policies will cover some claims, while the insurance industry has repeatedly stated personal policies routinely exclude coverage when vehicles are used commercially.\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>Many ride-service drivers are \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2014/01/20/ride-sharing-insurance-lyft-uberx-sidecar/\" target=\"_blank\">keeping their status secret from their insurance companies\u003c/a> because they’re afraid of losing coverage. There have been at least two reported instances in which drivers have been dropped by their insurance companies when the companies discovered the drivers were working for TNCs.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003c/strong>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\">warning\u003c/a> to TNC drivers about some of these risks. Last month, the department held an investigative hearing on the issue. On April 7, California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones wrote a letter to CPUC President Michael Peevey offering\u003ca href=\"http://www.insurance.ca.gov/video/0030VideoHearings/upload/CDI-CPUC20140407.pdf\" target=\"_blank\"> recommendations for more stringent insurance requirements\u003c/a>. Jones was blunt in describing the discrepancy between what TNCs such as Lyft, Uber and Sidecar have been claiming about the validity of drivers' personal insurance in TNC accidents and what the department found is the reality:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>TNCs are under the mistaken impression that personal automobile insurers cover now, planned to cover, or will cover the risk of TNC-related for-hire transportation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Instead, CDI finds that personal automobile insurers never planned or intended to underwrite for this risk, which did not exist, when the current policies were written. Insurers did not incorporate for-hire use when developing their rates. Adding this new TNC exposure to the personal automobile insurance \"pool\" may increase personal automobile insurance rates. The fact that some exclusions in personal automobile insurance policies may not be clear on this point should not be misinterpreted as an agreement to cover this new TNC risk.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>The department also found to be true what some drivers have told us: When prospective TNC drivers have been up-front with insurance companies about intending to use their vehicle for ride-service work, they have been unable to obtain coverage. Furthermore, the department said personal insurers do not plan on offering coverage for this type of mixed personal/commercial use of vehicles. That would leave ride-service drivers with seemingly only one option: to buy more expensive commercial insurance. But the department found even that option is not currently available to drivers:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Insurance companies and brokers tell CDI that Californians cannot purchase ... livery insurance on a personal vehicle.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bill Clark, a driver for Luxor Cab in San Francisco who wanted to switch to UberX, expressed his disappointment after hitting an insurance roadblock. Clark wanted to quit the declining taxi business and experience the freedom that many drivers have told us is one of the biggest attractions of working for Lyft and UberX. But he aborted his attempt at purchasing an Uber-financed vehicle due to the lack of available insurance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I could get a brand-new Prius, drive any time I wanted to, and just make money,\" Clark said. \"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>\u003cstrong>Overall Decision Won't Be Reversed\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The TNCs won a victory of sorts when the CPUC said it will not be reversing itself on its overall decision to allow ride-service companies like Lyft and UberX to operate in the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The CPUC on April 10 rejected a request for a rehearing of the September 2013 ruling, which created the category of TNCs. The decision gave official state sanction to these firms that had once been hit with cease-and-desist letters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The rehearing was requested by the Taxicab Paratransit Association of California (TPAC). Local taxi companies, of course, have been bleeding customers in towns where Lyft, UberX and other ride-service companies operate. In San Francisco, at least, cab drivers have been defecting from taxi companies in order to work for the new companies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>TPAC made several arguments in trying to get the decision overturned:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>That the decision violated the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>The CPUC responded that CEQA does not apply because the regulations the TNC regulations the commission issued have no \"direct physical impact,\" not do they create a \"reasonably foreseeable indirect change\" in the same.\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>That the CPUC does not have jurisdiction over TNCs because they are, in reality, taxis, and therefore subject to local oversight.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>The CPUC responded that TNCs are not cabs, because they operate strictly on a \"prearranged basis,\" as opposed to being able to pick up street hails, as taxis do.\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>That the decision violated the equal protection clauses of the U.S. and California constitutions.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>The CPUC said invocation of equal protection laws requires the two relevant parties to be \"similarly situated\" under the law, and that because TNCs are not cabs, this is not the case.\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>That the decision violates the Public Utilities Code because it exempts individual drivers from having to obtain permits, as opposed to individual companies.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>The CPUC responded that the utilities code allows for firms or corporations as well as individuals to be licensed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mandatory Drug Testing, Commercial Plates\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition to the insurance considerations, the CPUC granted a rehearing on the issues of mandatory drug testing and commercial license plate requirements, which are currently not mandated for TNC drivers and vehicles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The commission wrote: \"We acknowledge that the decision does not fully address\" the code sections that address these issues, and that it would grant a limited rehearing on them.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In other ride-service news, according to the \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/UberX-passengers-to-pay-1-safe-rides-fee-5414139.php\" target=\"_blank\">San Francisco Chronicle\u003c/a>, the receipts of UberX passengers will now include a $1 \"safe rides fee.\" Lyft has been charging a $1 \"trust and safety fee\" since December.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chronicle reporter Carolyn Said wrote: \"San Francisco's Uber said the fee demonstrates its 'continued commitment to safety' and helps fund increased costs for background checks, motor vehicle checks, driver safety education, current and future safety features in its app, and insurance.\"\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "CPUC is considering extending the time period during a driver's shift for which coverage must be valid.",
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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 in 2013. (Alex Emslie/KQED)\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A protester mocks ride service Lyft and its signature pink mustache at cab driver rally outside San Francisco City Hall in 2013. (Alex Emslie/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In the past two weeks a lot has happened on the increasingly volatile ride-service front. The California Public Utilities Commission will revisit the issue of insurance coverage for drivers who use their cars to carry paying passengers through companies like Lyft and UberX. As a result, these two firms are opposing the changes the CPUC is proposing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On April 10, the CPUC granted a rehearing on the insurance requirements it issued last year. At that time, as part of a decision that laid out rules and regulations for what the commission formally calls transportation network companies, or TNCs, the CPUC required the companies to provide at least $1 million in commercial liability insurance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now the CPUC is considering extending the time period during a driver's shift for which TNC coverage must be valid. A significant gap in this regard came to light on New Year's Eve, after a fatal accident involving an UberX driver in San Francisco. Although the driver's Uber app was open as he waited for another call to come in, Uber said he was excluded from its $1 million policy because he was not carrying a passenger or on the way to pick one up. That left the driver and the victim's family reliant on his much more minimal personal policy, which almost surely won't come near to paying the eventual liability costs. (The family has filed a lawsuit against the driver and Uber.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The CPUC is proposing that this gap be explicitly closed, by adding language that changes the definition of when a driver using his personal vehicle is \"providing TNC services\" to include \"when the TNC app is open and available to accept rides from a subscribing TNC passenger until that app has been closed.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The CPUC hopes to issue specifics about the rehearing in the next few weeks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both Lyft and Uber have filed comments opposing the change. Uber wrote, \"Adoption of this modification would result in a significant expansion of the period in which the TNC insurance requirements would be required.\" More specifically, Uber is objecting to the extension of the $1 million liability insurance requirement to this expanded time period. Last month, Uber said it had \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2014/03/14/uber-lyft-insurance/\" target=\"_blank\">expanded its insurance\u003c/a> to include a new policy that partially closes this gap, providing coverage for drivers logged onto its app but not currently on a call. However, the new policy's liability limit for drivers in that situation is only $50,000, a fraction of the $1 million the CPUC is now considering. Lyft \u003ca href=\"http://blog.lyft.com/posts/2014/4/11/lyft-insurance-overview\" target=\"_blank\">announced\u003c/a> on April 11 that it had added similar coverage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Uber wrote to the CPUC that requiring its insurance to cover the expanded period would be problematic, citing a scenario in which drivers have \"contracted with multiple TNCs and keeps all applications open at all times, in order to maximize the likelihood of procuring a (request).\" The company also wrote that the change might incentivize drivers to \"(keep) the App open at all times, regardless of the drivers' intent to accept a request for transportation service...solely to obtain the benefit from the increased insurance....\" Uber also speculated that drivers not engaged in TNC work might turn on the app \"immediately following an accident in order to try to secure the potentially significant financial benefit of the higher limits....\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lyft has similar objections: \"(A) TNC driver could forget to close the app and be considered to be 'providing TNC services' in the middle of the night when the car is parked on the street and the driver is sleeping, or when the vehicle is being driven by another household member, or when it is being used to transport a driver's child to soccer practice.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition, the CPUC proposal would require TNCs to add the following coverages:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Provide $1 million per-incident coverage in uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage, if there's an accident where the driver of another vehicle is at fault and does not have the proper insurance (UberX and Lyft say they already offer this.)\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Provide $50,000 in comprehensive coverage related to theft, fire, natural disasters, vandalism and similar circumstances that can cause damage to a TNC vehicle. (Uber says it offers this.)\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Provide $50,000 in collision coverage, related to damage to the driver's own vehicle when the TNC driver is at fault. (Lyft and Uber say they provide this coverage currently, but only if drivers have purchased it on their personal policies.)\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Provide $5,000 in medical payments coverage, related to expenses due to bodily injury of TNC drivers or their passengers\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Department of Insurance Slams TNCs\u003cbr>\n\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As we \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2013/11/14/who-pays-when-ride-share-driver-crashes\" target=\"_blank\">reported\u003c/a> last year, a number of other issues have emerged concerning TNC insurance:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Ride-service companies like Lyft and UberX say drivers’ personal insurance policies will cover some claims, while the insurance industry has repeatedly stated personal policies routinely exclude coverage when vehicles are used commercially.\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>Many ride-service drivers are \u003ca href=\"http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2014/01/20/ride-sharing-insurance-lyft-uberx-sidecar/\" target=\"_blank\">keeping their status secret from their insurance companies\u003c/a> because they’re afraid of losing coverage. There have been at least two reported instances in which drivers have been dropped by their insurance companies when the companies discovered the drivers were working for TNCs.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003c/strong>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\">warning\u003c/a> to TNC drivers about some of these risks. Last month, the department held an investigative hearing on the issue. On April 7, California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones wrote a letter to CPUC President Michael Peevey offering\u003ca href=\"http://www.insurance.ca.gov/video/0030VideoHearings/upload/CDI-CPUC20140407.pdf\" target=\"_blank\"> recommendations for more stringent insurance requirements\u003c/a>. Jones was blunt in describing the discrepancy between what TNCs such as Lyft, Uber and Sidecar have been claiming about the validity of drivers' personal insurance in TNC accidents and what the department found is the reality:\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>TNCs are under the mistaken impression that personal automobile insurers cover now, planned to cover, or will cover the risk of TNC-related for-hire transportation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Instead, CDI finds that personal automobile insurers never planned or intended to underwrite for this risk, which did not exist, when the current policies were written. Insurers did not incorporate for-hire use when developing their rates. Adding this new TNC exposure to the personal automobile insurance \"pool\" may increase personal automobile insurance rates. The fact that some exclusions in personal automobile insurance policies may not be clear on this point should not be misinterpreted as an agreement to cover this new TNC risk.\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>The department also found to be true what some drivers have told us: When prospective TNC drivers have been up-front with insurance companies about intending to use their vehicle for ride-service work, they have been unable to obtain coverage. Furthermore, the department said personal insurers do not plan on offering coverage for this type of mixed personal/commercial use of vehicles. That would leave ride-service drivers with seemingly only one option: to buy more expensive commercial insurance. But the department found even that option is not currently available to drivers:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Insurance companies and brokers tell CDI that Californians cannot purchase ... livery insurance on a personal vehicle.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bill Clark, a driver for Luxor Cab in San Francisco who wanted to switch to UberX, expressed his disappointment after hitting an insurance roadblock. Clark wanted to quit the declining taxi business and experience the freedom that many drivers have told us is one of the biggest attractions of working for Lyft and UberX. But he aborted his attempt at purchasing an Uber-financed vehicle due to the lack of available insurance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I could get a brand-new Prius, drive any time I wanted to, and just make money,\" Clark said. \"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>\u003cstrong>Overall Decision Won't Be Reversed\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The TNCs won a victory of sorts when the CPUC said it will not be reversing itself on its overall decision to allow ride-service companies like Lyft and UberX to operate in the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The CPUC on April 10 rejected a request for a rehearing of the September 2013 ruling, which created the category of TNCs. The decision gave official state sanction to these firms that had once been hit with cease-and-desist letters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The rehearing was requested by the Taxicab Paratransit Association of California (TPAC). Local taxi companies, of course, have been bleeding customers in towns where Lyft, UberX and other ride-service companies operate. In San Francisco, at least, cab drivers have been defecting from taxi companies in order to work for the new companies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>TPAC made several arguments in trying to get the decision overturned:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>That the decision violated the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>The CPUC responded that CEQA does not apply because the regulations the TNC regulations the commission issued have no \"direct physical impact,\" not do they create a \"reasonably foreseeable indirect change\" in the same.\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>That the CPUC does not have jurisdiction over TNCs because they are, in reality, taxis, and therefore subject to local oversight.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>The CPUC responded that TNCs are not cabs, because they operate strictly on a \"prearranged basis,\" as opposed to being able to pick up street hails, as taxis do.\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>That the decision violated the equal protection clauses of the U.S. and California constitutions.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>The CPUC said invocation of equal protection laws requires the two relevant parties to be \"similarly situated\" under the law, and that because TNCs are not cabs, this is not the case.\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>That the decision violates the Public Utilities Code because it exempts individual drivers from having to obtain permits, as opposed to individual companies.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>The CPUC responded that the utilities code allows for firms or corporations as well as individuals to be licensed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mandatory Drug Testing, Commercial Plates\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition to the insurance considerations, the CPUC granted a rehearing on the issues of mandatory drug testing and commercial license plate requirements, which are currently not mandated for TNC drivers and vehicles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The commission wrote: \"We acknowledge that the decision does not fully address\" the code sections that address these issues, and that it would grant a limited rehearing on them.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In other ride-service news, according to the \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/UberX-passengers-to-pay-1-safe-rides-fee-5414139.php\" target=\"_blank\">San Francisco Chronicle\u003c/a>, the receipts of UberX passengers will now include a $1 \"safe rides fee.\" Lyft has been charging a $1 \"trust and safety fee\" since December.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chronicle reporter Carolyn Said wrote: \"San Francisco's Uber said the fee demonstrates its 'continued commitment to safety' and helps fund increased costs for background checks, motor vehicle checks, driver safety education, current and future safety features in its app, and insurance.\"\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"disqusTitle": "Lyft, UberX Receive 3-Year Licenses to Operate in California",
"title": "Lyft, UberX Receive 3-Year Licenses to Operate in California",
"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\">(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>[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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"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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"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>\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_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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"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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"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. ",
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"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. ",
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"marketplace": {
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"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",
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"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>",
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"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?",
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"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",
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"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.",
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"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",
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"possible": {
"id": "possible",
"title": "Possible",
"info": "Possible is hosted by entrepreneur Reid Hoffman and writer Aria Finger. Together in Possible, Hoffman and Finger lead enlightening discussions about building a brighter collective future. The show features interviews with visionary guests like Trevor Noah, Sam Altman and Janette Sadik-Khan. Possible paints an optimistic portrait of the world we can create through science, policy, business, art and our shared humanity. It asks: What if everything goes right for once? How can we get there? Each episode also includes a short fiction story generated by advanced AI GPT-4, serving as a thought-provoking springboard to speculate how humanity could leverage technology for good.",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm",
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"pri-the-world": {
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"title": "PRI's The World: Latest Edition",
"info": "Each weekday, host Marco Werman and his team of producers bring you the world's most interesting stories in an hour of radio that reminds us just how small our planet really is.",
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"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-World-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
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},
"radiolab": {
"id": "radiolab",
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"info": "A two-time Peabody Award-winner, Radiolab is an investigation told through sounds and stories, and centered around one big idea. In the Radiolab world, information sounds like music and science and culture collide. Hosted by Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich, the show is designed for listeners who demand skepticism, but appreciate wonder. WNYC Studios is the producer of other leading podcasts including Freakonomics Radio, Death, Sex & Money, On the Media and many more.",
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"reveal": {
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"info": "Created by The Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX, Reveal is public radios first one-hour weekly radio show and podcast dedicated to investigative reporting. Credible, fact based and without a partisan agenda, Reveal combines the power and artistry of driveway moment storytelling with data-rich reporting on critically important issues. The result is stories that inform and inspire, arming our listeners with information to right injustices, hold the powerful accountable and improve lives.Reveal is hosted by Al Letson and showcases the award-winning work of CIR and newsrooms large and small across the nation. In a radio and podcast market crowded with choices, Reveal focuses on important and often surprising stories that illuminate the world for our listeners.",
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},
"rightnowish": {
"id": "rightnowish",
"title": "Rightnowish",
"tagline": "Art is where you find it",
"info": "Rightnowish digs into life in the Bay Area right now… ish. Journalist Pendarvis Harshaw takes us to galleries painted on the sides of liquor stores in West Oakland. We'll dance in warehouses in the Bayview, make smoothies with kids in South Berkeley, and listen to classical music in a 1984 Cutlass Supreme in Richmond. Every week, Pen talks to movers and shakers about how the Bay Area shapes what they create, and how they shape the place we call home.",
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},
"science-friday": {
"id": "science-friday",
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"info": "Science Friday is a weekly science talk show, broadcast live over public radio stations nationwide. Each week, the show focuses on science topics that are in the news and tries to bring an educated, balanced discussion to bear on the scientific issues at hand. Panels of expert guests join host Ira Flatow, a veteran science journalist, to discuss science and to take questions from listeners during the call-in portion of the program.",
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"snap-judgment": {
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"title": "Snap Judgment",
"tagline": "Real stories with killer beats",
"info": "The Snap Judgment radio show and podcast mixes real stories with killer beats to produce cinematic, dramatic radio. Snap's musical brand of storytelling dares listeners to see the world through the eyes of another. This is storytelling... with a BEAT!! Snap first aired on public radio stations nationwide in July 2010. Today, Snap Judgment airs on over 450 public radio stations and is brought to the airwaves by KQED & PRX.",
"airtime": "SAT 1pm-2pm, 9pm-10pm",
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},
"soldout": {
"id": "soldout",
"title": "SOLD OUT: Rethinking Housing in America",
"tagline": "A new future for housing",
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