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Uber responds half-heartedly to Senator Franken's privacy questions
Uber has at last responded to Senator Al Franken's questions about its controversial vehicle tracking and privacy policies... and if you were hoping for clear answers, you'll be disappointed. The ridesharing outfit's letter mostly reiterates the company's practices and its top-level responses to recent privacy incidents involving journalists. To start, the firm says it collects only basic info (like trip histories) from customers, and that its "God View" ride tracking is "essential" for both balancing car distribution as well as verifying passengers' complaints about fraud or safety. These shed some extra light on the subject, although they mostly echo data privacy policies that were already public.
Lyft claims Uber employees ordered at least 5,000 fake rides (update)
Ridesharing company Uber is worthy $18 billion thanks to its rider-friendly practices, but rival Lyft says it hasn't been so nice to competitors. The company supplied CNNMoney with data showing that 177 Uber employees in the US booked and then cancelled some 5,560 rides since October of last year. While not technically illegal, such a scheme can make Lyft drivers head to non-existent ride pickups, letting Uber cars swoop into the vacated areas. Lyft added that Uber recruiters are sometimes ordering legit, but low-paying short rides in order to pitch its drivers on switching to Uber. As proof, the company matched phone numbers to known Uber employees or contractors -- for instance, one known recruiter has used 21 different Lyft accounts to order 1,500 cancelled rides.
Uber tackles Taxis in Chicago with Uber Garage experiment
Uber has been making quite a name for itself with its fleet of private Town Cars you can order straight from your smartphone. But, high-end luxury shuttles only account for a tiny fraction of the car service market. A much larger piece of the pie is owned by the humble taxicab. Uber Garage is the company's new workshop for experimental new features and services, and the first product of the labs is a taxi service for UberChicago customers. With more cabs per-capita than anywhere else in the US and the second lowest rates in the nation, it was the logical choice for a launch location. Taxi drivers who take part in the program will get alerts when an Uber user wants a cab. Rather than wave and whistle and wait on a busy corner, a user simply fires up the Uber app and demands a ride. There's no cash to exchange or credit card to swipe -- drivers a paid by Uber direct, and the fare includes a 20-percent tip. Though, that doesn't mean you're not free to tip some cash on top of the default gratuity. If you're in the Chicago area and have taken advantage of an Uber Taxi, let us know how it went in the comments.
Car-service app Uber heads for NYC market
Uber is a service that connects an iOS app to a car booking network, so essentially you can use your iPhone to signal that you need a car, and then one shows up, complete with a driver ready to take you to your destination. We've seen taxis do this with Taxi Magic, but Uber is designed to not only set up people who need transportation with their own drivers, but also car services with new customers. Now Uber is headed for an even bigger test in New York, after launching in the San Francisco market. The New York Times says the company is set to take on the Big Apple, where taxis and public transportation options usually hold sway. It'll be interesting to see how this all works. I expect more of these kinds of services to hook into smartphones in this way. Of course, using a car service will always be more expensive. But for those few times in urban areas where you need a car fast, what better way than a geo-aware smartphone to set up the connection?
