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Taxi Companies Sue Uber For False Advertising On Safety
jfruh writes "A group of California taxi operators are suing Uber, claiming the ridehailing service is guilty of false advertising when it comes to rider safety. The taxi companies claim that Uber doesn't use a Live Scan fingerprint ID for drivers like they do, and that the $1 "safe rides" fee on every fare doesn't specifically go towards boosting safety. From the article: "The suit comes in the wake of problems Uber is facing in some countries. On Wednesday, the Frankfurt Regional Court issued a nationwide ban against the company’s UberPop service after declaring its business model illegal. Using a smartphone app to connect passengers with private drivers that use their own cars and don’t have the required licenses is illegal, the court observed."
Uber is tracking where both drivers and passengers are, and the fact that a passenger has booked with a particular driver...
If I hail a cab, no-one knows where I am or who I am with.
It's not like cab drivers have never harmed anyone. It's also not like others have not harmed cab drivers. The fact that with Uber both sides have been to some degree vetted makes the whole transaction inherently safer, both for riders and drivers.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Or it would have beeen if my bloody Uber driver knew where he was going.
systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
Seven Year Old San Francisco Girl Struck and Killed By Uber Driver; Uber Denies Responsibility http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/...
Boston Uber Driver Charged with indecent Assault and Battery http://www.bostonglobe.com/met...
Off-Duty LA Uber Driver Accused of Sexual Assault http://www.bizjournals.com/los...
Chicago Uber Driver With Felony Conviction Charged With Battery For Allegedly Hitting Passenger http://www.forbes.com/sites/el...
Writer and Activist Reports Being Choked in DC; Uber Denies The Event and Responsibility http://valleywag.gawker.com/ub...
DC Uber Driver Allegedly Assaults Customer for Burping http://www.washingtoncitypaper...
San Francisco Uber Customer Claims Abuse and Assault by Uber Driver (Pando) http://pando.com/2013/11/25/ub...
Passenger Struck In Head With Hammer by UberX Driver http://www.forbes.com/sites/el...
Uber Driver Pulls Gun on Valet in Atlanta http://pando.com/2014/09/08/at...
Uber Driver Punches Passenger in Oklahoma http://newsok.com/oklahoma-cit...
Lyft Driver Attacks Pedestrian in San Francisco http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news...
Lyft Driver Brandishes Knife in Los Angeles http://www.laweekly.com/2013-0...
Uber Customer Sues for $2M over Alleged Driver Stabbing in DC http://dcinno.streetwise.co/20...
DC Uber Driver Allegedly Rapes Customer http://betabeat.com/2013/03/ub...
Uber Driver Charged with Fondling Passenger in Chicago http://valleywag.gawker.com/ub...
DC Uber Driver Arrested for Alleged Rape But Not Charged Despite Strong Evidence http://www.washingtonpost.com/...
Another DC Uber Driver Accused of Molesting Uber Rider http://valleywag.gawker.com/an...
Passenger Struck In Head With Hammer by UberX Driver http://www.forbes.com/sites/el...
Uber Driver in India Accused of Rape http://www.bbc.c
No it should be taxis suing. They should be suing for libel. Claiming your service is safer than the competition when it's the same exact service is lying!
What about these people?
Common theme among many such stories: "police are searching for driver" because they (and the victims) often do not know which exact cab they used... with Uber there's a record of exactly which car and driver was used, and you had a picture of the driver to verify who it was before you got into the vehicle. In the last story the woman cannot even remember which cab company she used, and she paid with cash... neither aspects possible with Uber.
Why do you imagine you can make Uber seem scarier than cabs? The fundamental points I raised mean you simply cannot.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Do a similar search about taxis and I guarantee you that there are an equal, if not more, number of cases where taxi drivers do the same or worse. You're just picking and choosing what to post.
I've had a cab driver state to my wife that in his country, they cut off women's tits for "talking back." I've had another cabbie pull a gun on a coworker who, though intoxicated, was no violent in any way at all and certainly didn't deserve that treatment. Hate on Uber all you want, but it exists because taxis have sucked, tremendously, for years, and couldn't be bothered to fix any of their own shitty, overpriced service, and the people want something better. The genie is out of the bottle and he's not going back, no matter how much fear-mongering you and your cause try to do.
If I hail a cab, no-one knows where I am or who I am with.
It's not like cab drivers have never harmed anyone.
How American of you. I can tell you that in some countries, standing on the street corner and hailing a cab is just plain STUPID. You ALWAYS call or use a designated dispatcher. You may feel safe just finding a cab on the street here in the USA, but be careful when you leave here.
Uber/Lyft are perhaps a bit safer concerning the people involved, but there ARE risks. Drivers are NOT trained or licensed, equipment is NOT inspected and you don't know if that driver that picks you up isn't some serial killer looking for the next victim, just drank a 5th, or just is out looking for a few bucks. You don't know if you will be lost for the next hour or if the driver has slept in the last 24 hours. Not that Taxi services have the best equipment or hire the cleanest drivers, but they do at least care enough to meet the regulations and keep things reasonably safe and orderly.
"File to fit, pound to insert, paint to match" - Aircraft Maintenance 101
"police are searching for driver"
Apples to Orangutans - Uber don't have "walk ups", a fair comparison would be between Uber and a booked taxi.
Do Uber have hidden mics, panic buttons, and radio code words for trouble? Taxi's in Oz had all those things when I was a driver back in the 80's, nowadays they also have cameras. Everyone talks about passenger safety, the fact is drivers are at least an order of magnitude more likely to be attacked than the passenger.
And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage? - Pink Floyd.
No worries people, because drivers will soon become obsolete anyway...
If Pandora's box is destined to be opened, *I* want to be the one to open it.
$1.6B for paying lawyers.
And you think that is a good thing.
But if that driver decides to stop and assault you, tracking them will do nothing as it's still a he-said/she-said case in court.
OTOH, taxis in my city are fitted with CCTV cameras inside and out. In the unlikely event the footage is unavailable (the companies have never hesitated to turn it over because it gets them off the liabilty hook) it still counts in my favour.
Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.
...Uber is tracking all of its drivers and passengers like Big Brother with a Boner.
Great, now I have to find a way to wash my minds eye with peroxide...
You have the right to remain sentient. If you give up the right to remain sentient, you will be elected to public office