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California fines Uber $7.6 million for not reporting driver data
Uber was hit with a $7.6 million fine on Thursday after the California Public Utilities Commission found that the company failed to provide proper data on its drivers in 2014. Uber plans to pay the fine to avoid a suspension of its operating license, though it will appeal the ruling, the Los Angeles Times reports. In July 2015, a judge recommended Uber be fined upwards of $7 million for failing to provide relevant driver data under California's new ride-hailing laws. Today's fine stems from that recommendation.
Seattle votes to let Lyft and Uber drivers unionize
The Seattle City Council's voted unanimously (9 - 0) that drivers for Lyft and Uber can form unions. The decision is much more complex than the drivers simply being able to organize and collectively bargain for better wages or benefits, though. The ruling is actually illegal, but it's up to a federal court to rule against it for the law to be reversed. The Seattle Times editorial board writes that the decision breaking national anti-trust laws was something that city officials knew about when voting during tonight's lame duck session, while The New York Times acknowledges that the decision is something that's likely to be challenged in court.
UK watchdog singlehandedly dismantles TfL's Uber sanctions
Uber's impact on the London taxi trade has been huge. The exponential growth of the ride-hailing service has caused anger and criticism among more traditional operators, particularly black cabbies, who argue lax regulations have allowed Uber to flourish unchecked. After a long-fought legal challenge, London's High Court recently ruled that the way Uber calculates fares is legal, and is not equivalent to taximeters reserved for black cabs exclusively. No sooner had that bullet been dodged than Transport for London (TfL) let another fly in the form of proposals to significantly overhaul private hire regulations, under the guise of improving passenger safety.
Londoners will soon be able to share an Uber with strangers
If you're willing to share an Uber with a stranger, travelling across London could soon be a little bit cheaper. The company is launching UberPool this Friday (December 4th) at 4pm, starting with a small patch in the centre of the city -- it stretches between Highbury in the North, Wapping in the East, Brixton in the South and Shepherd's Bush in the West. Sharing a ride will, the company claims, make your fare 25 percent cheaper than if you had travelled with UberX, the company's next best option. You simply open the app, choose the UberPool icon and your destination; it'll then ask how many seats you need (for now, two is the limit) and give a final fare. If you're the driver's second stop, Uber will tell you the name of your fellow traveller immediately, otherwise you'll get a notification mid-journey.
Uber heads to Scotland, starting in Glasgow
After months of quiet hiring in Edinburgh and Glasgow, Uber is finally ready to take on Scotland. The company is launching first in Glasgow, although we suspect it won't be long before it enters the Scottish capital too. That means if you're based in Glasgow's bustling port city, you'll be able to download the app and request uberX rides from 4pm today. Uber has already launched in most of England's major hubs, including Newcastle, Birmingham and Leeds, so Scotland is an obvious target for further UK expansion. The company is still, however, in the middle of a legal dispute with the UK's Licensed Taxi Drivers Association, so we're curious to see how Glasgow's cabbies react to their new competition.
Uber and Lyft are one step closer to operating in Las Vegas
The Nevada Transportation Authority approved new regulations for Uber, Lyft and other ride-hailing services today, but don't expect a flood of for-hire drivers on the Las Vegas Strip this weekend. These companies can't open shop in Nevada quite yet -- regulators approved new rules, including the imposition of an administrative fee and requiring decals on cars, but Uber and Lyft still don't have permission to operate in the state.
'Uber for kids' car service runs afoul of California laws
Shuddle, an on demand driver service that lets strangers drive your kids around, billing itself as the "Uber for kids", is in trouble with California regulators. The company received a cease and desist letter from the California Public Utilities Commission last November after regulators noticed that Shuddle had yet to register with TrustLine, the state agency that fingerprints and runs background checks on adults working in child care. USA Today reports that so far, Shuddle has yet to comply with the CPUC's demand, opening the company to further regulatory action that could include its halting operations via court order. "Safety is our top priority," CPUC director of news and information Terrie Prosper told USA Today.
Gett's latest expansion takes it beyond Uber in the UK
Uber is finally starting to ramp up its operations in the UK, but it faces tough competition from taxi-booking app Gett. Formerly known as GetTaxi, the company is expanding into 18 new cities today: Oxford, Cambridge, Reading, Slough, Milton Keynes, Brighton, Bristol, Bath, Cardiff, Portsmouth, Bournemouth, Leicester, Coventry, Sheffield, Nottingham, Bradford, Hull, and Newcastle. They join London, Edinburgh, Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool, Glasgow and Leeds, taking the app's coverage far beyond its ride-hailing rival.
Uber launches in-app panic button in India
Starting on February 11th, Uber passengers in India will have access to an in-app panic button that alerts local police in case of emergency. While the ride-hailing service previously said the feature will be available worldwide, it will be released in India first in response to the transportation department's demand for tighter security measures. If you recall, a New Delhi woman accused an Uber driver of rape in December, so the agency demanded a physical panic button in cabs, among other security features. The department even recently asked the government to ban the service for good (its operations were halted for several weeks after the incident), as it believes the company failed to comply with its demands.
