Latest Sharing Economy Headlines
All the headlines from our Sharing Economy Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Massachusetts Tax on Ridesharing to Go to Taxis, Infrastructure
Aug 22 2016 // Massachusetts is preparing to levy a 5-cent fee per trip on ride-hailing apps such as Uber and Lyft and spend the money on the traditional taxi industry, a subsidy that appears to be the first of its kind in the United...
Failure of Uber Settlement Opens Door for Wage Claims
Aug 22 2016 // The rejection of a $100 million settlement with drivers comes with plenty of silver linings for Uber Technologies Inc. The gray cloud for the ride-hailing company is that a dozen or so lawsuits that would have been...
Judge Nixes $100M Driver Settlement But Uber May Win in End
Aug 19 2016 // Uber Technologies Inc. may come out ahead by failing to win court approval of a $100 million settlement with drivers. A San Francisco federal judge rejected the agreement on Thursday, a turn of events that would typically...
Uber Moves Into Self-Driving Truck Lane with Otto Acquisition
Aug 19 2016 // Ride service Uber Technologies Inc. said on Thursday it has acquired the self-driving trucks startup Otto, and it also announced that Volvo Car Group has agreed to a $300 million alliance to develop self-driving...
Uber to Reunite with Alabama College Towns
Aug 18 2016 // The ridesharing service Uber plans to return to two Alabama cities this week as students return to college campuses. Local media report that city officials in Auburn and Tuscaloosa have approved ordinances in recent weeks...
Suit against Seattle Law Enabling Uber Drivers to Unionize Tossed by Judge
Aug 11 2016 // A judge has dismissed the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s lawsuit against Seattle’s new ordinance that gives drivers for ridesharing companies the ability to unionize over pay and working conditions. The Seattle...
Uber Launches Ridesharing Operations in Montana City
Aug 8 2016 // Residents of Billings, Mont. have a new way to catch a ride as Uber has launched in the city. The Billings Gazette reported that Billings Mayor Tom Hanel took the service’s ceremonial first ride last week to...
Airbnb Sues Southern California City over Short-term Rental Law
Aug 8 2016 // Airbnb is suing the city of Anaheim over a law that regulates short-term rentals. The suit filed in late July argues the city violates free-speech rights and federal law by holding Airbnb responsible when users post...
Boston Police Chief Disappointed Ridesharing Bill Lacks Driver Fingerprinting
Aug 3 2016 // Boston Police Commissioner William Evans is faulting Massachusetts lawmakers for failing to require the fingerprinting of drivers for ride-hailing services such as Uber and Lyft. The House and Senate approved regulations...
Airbnb Sues Southern California City over Short-term Rental Law
Aug 1 2016 // Airbnb is suing the city of Anaheim over a law that regulates short-term rentals. The Orange County Register reported the suit argues the city violates free-speech rights and federal law by holding Airbnb responsible when...
Uber Insists If Arbitration Pact Is Nixed, $100M Driver Settlement Is Dead
Aug 1 2016 // Uber Technologies Inc.’s message to the judge who must approve its $100 million settlement with drivers is clear: take it or leave it. In an escalating game of courtroom brinkmanship, Uber has hit what may be an...
Judge Denies Uber Bid to Enforce Arbitration in Consumer Suit
Aug 1 2016 // Uber Technologies Inc. can’t require a Connecticut customer accusing the company of price-fixing to resolve the fight in arbitration, a federal judge ruled in one of several cases challenging the ride-hailing...
Judge Hits Uber’s Background Check on Passenger Bringing Price-Fixing Suit
Jul 26 2016 // A federal judge on Monday banned Uber Technologies Inc. and its Chief Executive Travis Kalanick from using information from a background check on a passenger bringing a price-fixing lawsuit, saying the investigative firm...
Uber Cleared to Offer Rides in West Virginia
Jul 21 2016 // Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin and U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin introduced Uber to West Virginia by hailing the state’s first ride. After an Uber trip from Capitol Market in Charleston to the state Capitol, Manchin and Tomblin...
Washington Judge Hears Challenge to Law Enabling Uber, Lyft to Unionize
Jul 20 2016 // A U.S. judge on Tuesday wrestled with whether a lawsuit could proceed against the city of Seattle, Wash. over a local law which allows Uber and Lyft drivers to unionize. The litigation is unfolding amid a national debate...
Drivers Take Uber to UK Tribunal in Test Case that Could Threaten Business Model
Jul 19 2016 // Two drivers took Uber to a British employment tribunal on Tuesday, arguing that the ride service is acting unlawfully by not offering rights such as holiday and sick pay, in a test case that could force the app to change...
Florida Uber Driver Arrested for Refusing Ride to Blind Man, Service Dog
Jul 12 2016 // An Uber driver in Florida was arrested after deputies say he refused to transport a group of blind people and their service dogs. According to news outlets, citing an arrest report, 60-year-old Simon Pierre Andre Nau was...
New Hampshire, Rhode Island Approve Ridesharing Laws
Jul 11 2016 // A state law requiring criminal background checks on drivers of ride-hailing companies took effect last month in New Hampshire with Democratic Gov. Maggie Hassan’s signature. The law also requires ridesharing...
Judge in California Approves Lyft’s $27M Driver Settlement Deal
Jul 11 2016 // A U.S. judge granted preliminary approval to ride service Lyft’s $27 million settlement of a class action lawsuit brought by California drivers who claimed they should be deemed employees instead of independent...
Aon Offers Cover for Ontario Uber Drivers, Using Online Quoting Tool
Jul 8 2016 // Aon Risk Solutions, the global risk management business of Aon plc, announced it is now offering personal ride-sharing insurance policies designed specifically for Ontario Uber drivers. As Uber’s insurance broker,...
