Latest Sharing Economy Headlines
All the headlines from our Sharing Economy Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Sizing Up the Gig Economy
Jun 14 2018 // Look around, and it seems more Americans are working outside traditional full-time jobs — whether as freelance graphic designers or independent contractors or Uber drivers. Or maybe not. A government report this week...
Injury Lawyers Chasing Scooter Accidents, In Search of Insurers
Jun 12 2018 // Bird Rides Inc. and other scooter startups have drawn fire from pedestrian advocates, politicians and annoyed citizens. Now they have a new nemesis: personal-injury lawyers. In recent months, people hurt riding (or hit by)...
Uber Ends Self-Driving Program in Arizona Following Fatality
Jun 4 2018 // Uber has shut down its self-driving car operation in Arizona two months after a fatal crash involving one of its vehicles, the company said last month. Uber Technologies Inc. is not shuttering its entire autonomous vehicle...
Former Uber Engineer Files Suit for Harassment, Retaliation
Jun 4 2018 // A former software engineer at Uber Technologies Inc. has filed a lawsuit against the ridesharing service, claiming she was subjected to sexual harassment and subjected to retaliation for complaining about it. The lawsuit...
How Safe Must Driverless Vehicles Be to Be Accepted? Very Safe.
May 31 2018 // The race is on for companies to present their driverless cars to the public, but recent collisions involving autonomous vehicles developed by Uber Technologies Inc. and Tesla Inc. have led to doubts about whether these...
Rivals Uber, Waymo in Talks About Driverless Ride Hailing Partnership
May 31 2018 // Uber Technologies Inc. is talking with Alphabet Inc.’s autonomous driving unit Waymo about using its technology on Uber’s ride-hailing app, Uber Chief Executive Dara Khosrowshahi said on Wednesday, signaling a...
Uber Disabled Brake of Self-Driving Car in Arizona Fatal Crash
May 25 2018 // Uber had disabled an emergency braking system in a self-driving vehicle that struck and killed a woman in Arizona in March even though the car had identified the need to apply the brakes, the National Transportation Safety...
Uber Ends Self-Driving Program in Arizona Following Fatality
May 24 2018 // Uber has shut down its self-driving car operation in Arizona two months after a fatal crash involving one of its vehicles, the company said on Wednesday. Uber Technologies Inc is not shuttering its entire autonomous...
Uber Expands Health Insurance Benefit to Drivers in 21 European Countries
May 24 2018 // Uber plans to offer all its European drivers an upgraded version of the health insurance it already provides in France in a drive to attract independent workers and fend off criticism over their treatment. The San...
Former Uber Engineer Files Suit for Harassment, Retaliation
May 22 2018 // A former software engineer at Uber Technologies Inc. has filed a lawsuit against the ridesharing service, claiming she was subjected to years of sexual harassment there and subjected to retaliation for complaining about...
Court Revives Challenge to Seattle’s Ridesharing Union Law
May 21 2018 // A U.S. appeals court has revived a leading business group’s challenge to a Seattle law, the first of its kind, that would allow drivers for ridesharing services such as Uber Technologies Inc. and Lyft to...
The Road Ahead for Autonomous Cars and Auto Insurance
May 17 2018 // The death of a pedestrian who was struck by an autonomous vehicle in Tempe, Arizona, has brought fresh scrutiny to the accelerating development of self-driving cars. The accident on March 18 is bound to be studied...
Uber Drops Arbitration, Confidentiality Requirements for Sexual Assault Claims
May 15 2018 // Uber Technologies Inc. said on Tuesday sexual harassment or assault victims will have the option to settle claims with the ride-hailing service without a confidentiality provision that prevents them from speaking about the...
Court Revives Challenge to Seattle’s Ridesharing Union Law
May 14 2018 // A U.S. appeals court has revived a leading business group’s challenge to a Seattle law, the first of its kind, that would allow drivers for ride-hailing services such as Uber Technologies Inc. and Lyft to...
Massachusetts Regulators Probe Uber Pricing During Storm
May 14 2018 // Massachusetts regulators are investigating whether ride-hailing company Uber violated state law by increasing prices during a powerful storm in March. The Boston Herald reports that the Department of Public Utilities,...
California Lawsuits Challenging Contractor Model for Lyft, Postmates
May 10 2018 // Ridesharing service Lyft Inc. and courier service Postmates Inc. are among the first companies to be sued for improperly treating workers in California as independent contractors following a recent decision that makes it...
Louisiana Senators Reject Statewide Rules for Uber, Lyft
May 10 2018 // Louisiana state lawmakers again have spurned efforts to enact statewide regulations governing ride-hailing services such as Uber and Lyft. Facing pushback from senators, House Speaker Taylor Barras pulled House Bill 749...
Uber Hires Ex-Regulator for Safety Advice; Website Says Software Flaw Caused Accident
May 9 2018 // Uber Technologies Inc. on Monday said it has retained a former top U.S. transportation official to advise it on safety after a fatal self-driving crash in March, but it declined to comment on a technology website’s...
Drive to Autonomous Vehicles Slows After Series of Accidents
May 2 2018 // A series of high-profile accidents involving self-driving cars are slowing the mad rush into the autonomous vehicles business, according to a report issued Wednesday. The accidents, some of them fatal, have ignited a...
California High Court Rules on Independent Contractors Matter
May 1 2018 // In a big win for labor advocates, the California Supreme Court on Monday limited businesses from classifying workers as independent contractors who can’t receive key employment protections. Experts expect the ruling...
