Latest Sharing Economy Headlines

All the headlines from our Sharing Economy Topic Page, ordered by recency.

California Uber Drivers Seeking $1B Bounty Claim as Trial Draws Near

Apr 8 2016 // Uber Technologies Inc. drivers suing to be treated like employees are trying to add $1 billion in penalties under California’s unique “bounty hunter” statute as they prepare for trial in June. About...

Mississippi and West Virginia Governors Both Sign Ridesharing Laws

Apr 7 2016 // Mississippi and West Virginia have become the 30th and 31st states to pass legislation to create a statewide regulatory framework for ridesharing services offered by transportation network companies like Uber and...

Missouri Bill Requiring Rideshare Vehicle Insurance Advances

Apr 6 2016 // The Missouri House has advanced legislation that would impose statewide regulations on app-based ride-hailing services, a move companies Uber and Lyft support. House members voted 113-38 to give initial approval to a bill...

Uber Driver Mugged in Downtown Vegas

Apr 6 2016 // Police are looking for a suspect who knifed and robbed of an Uber driver in downtown Las Vegas. Authorities say the attack happened Friday around 2:15 a.m. near the Golden Nugget hotel. According to police, the driver...

Progressive Insurance Snags Texas Uber Drivers Account

Mar 31 2016 // Uber Technologies Inc. will use Progressive Insurance to provide coverage for drivers in Texas beginning on Friday, in a pilot that could lead the ride-hailing market leader to diversify its U.S. insurance purchasing from...

Atlanta Airport, Uber Battle Over Background Checks for Drivers

Mar 29 2016 // A battle over background checks for Uber drivers at the world’s busiest airport comes as cities like Los Angeles and Austin, Texas, consider more thorough screenings to prevent criminals from getting behind the...

Uber Launches Service in Montpelier, Vermont

Mar 28 2016 // The ride-hailing service Uber is now operating in Montpelier, Vermont. The San Francisco-based company says riders requesting a car in Montpelier can be dropped off at points outside the city, including in Barre, Hyde...

Uber, Lyft Will Begin Operations at Seattle Airport

Mar 24 2016 // Ridesharing services, like Uber and Lyft, will soon be allowed to pick up riders at Washington’s Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Seattlepi.com reported the Port of Seattle announced this week it would allow the...

South Dakota Opens the Door to Ridesharing

Mar 23 2016 // South Dakota has become the 29th state to implement statewide rules governing the operation of transportation network companies like Uber and Lyft, with news that Gov. Dennis Daugaard has signed the ridesharing measure...

Ridesharing Firm Could Bypass Drivers by Building Own Autonomous Fleet

Mar 21 2016 // Ride-hailing service Uber has sounded out car companies about placing a large order for self-driving cars, an auto industry source said on Friday. “They wanted autonomous cars,” the source, who declined to be...

California Bill Would Enable Independent Contractors to Unionize

Mar 21 2016 // A longshot proposal introduced in mid-March would make California the first state to allow rideshare drivers and all other independent contractors to unionize. The legislation came one week after the U.S. Chamber of...

U.S. Chamber Files Suit against Seattle over Uber, Lyft Ordinance

Mar 21 2016 // The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is suing the city of Seattle over an ordinance that allows drivers of ridesharing apps Uber and Lyft to unionize, saying it violates federal antitrust laws. Seattle last year became the first...

New Mexico Governor Signs Ridesharing Bill

Mar 21 2016 // New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez arrived earlier this month in her first Uber ride and signed a bill allowing ridesharing companies Uber and Lyft to operate in the state. The Republican governor said the measure ends the...

Missouri Lawmakers Favor Statewide Regulations for Uber

Mar 18 2016 // Missouri lawmakers in both chambers say passing statewide regulations for app-based car services will lead to thousands of new jobs. Uber’s general manager for Missouri Sagar Shah said that regulations making their...

California Judge: Lyft Lawsuit Against Uber Exec Should Go to Trial

Mar 18 2016 // An Uber executive lost a bid to throw out a breach of contract lawsuit filed against him by his former employer, Lyft, in advance of a trial scheduled for next month, according to a tentative ruling by a California state...

Teamsters, Lyft Drivers Objecting to Class-Action Settlement

Mar 16 2016 // Five Lyft drivers and the Teamsters union will object to a proposed class action settlement, saying it would shortchange drivers by keeping them as independent contractors instead of employees, a union spokesman said on...

New Hampshire House Approves Bill Aimed at Regulating Uber

Mar 15 2016 // The New Hampshire House is giving initial approval to a bill that would regulate drivers of Uber and other ridesharing services in the state. Some taxi companies complain the service is not subject to the same strict...

Parr Insurance Launches Ridesharing Policy for Electric Vehicle Fleets in Chicago

Mar 15 2016 // Parr Insurance Brokerage, an independent insurance agency, has created a new policy for electric vehicles (EV) ridesharing in Chicago. Parr developed the policy for Chicago-based E-Rive, an electric-vehicle car sharing...

After Mass. House OK, Senate Takes Up Uber Regulations

Mar 14 2016 // It seems likely based on recent legislative developments that Massachusetts will adopt regulations for ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft, but it’s still far too early to assume what the final rules might...

New Mexico Governor Signs Ridesharing Bill

Mar 11 2016 // New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez arrived this week in her first Uber ride and signed a bill allowing ridesharing companies Uber and Lyft to operate in the state. The Republican governor said the measure ends the confusion...