Latest Sharing Economy Headlines
All the headlines from our Sharing Economy Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Uber, Cabs Fight Over Upstate New York Market
Jun 2 2016 // A fight over Uber’s plans to expand throughout New York State is escalating as lawmakers enter the final weeks of their 2016 legislative session. The app-based ride-hailing service wants state regulations that would...
EU Guidelines Seek to Limit Crackdown on Uber, Airbnb
Jun 1 2016 // European Union governments should not ban services like home-rental site Airbnb or ride-hailing app Uber except as a last resort, the EU says in new guidelines, seeking to rein in a crackdown on the “sharing...
Uber Appeals Pennsylvania’s $11.4M Fine
May 31 2016 // Ride-hailing company Uber is asking Pennsylvania’s utility regulators to reconsider the record-setting $11.4 million fine they issued against it. The Public Utility Commission fined San Francisco-based Uber in April...
Kids’ Car Seats, Ridesharing Popularity Prompt Focus on Back Seat Safety
May 26 2016 // Crash-test dummies, who have dutifully endured thousands of simulated accidents from the front seat, are about to get a ride in the back. Regulators are making the move as part of a new emphasis on the safety of back-seat...
Are Ridesharing Drivers Safer Than Average American Drivers?
May 26 2016 // Ridesharing drivers are safer drivers than the average American behind the wheel, according to research by Boston-based Aite Group. The researchers, using driving analytics data, conclude that average consumers are safer...
Swiss Re’s List of Emerging Risks Range from Blockchain Tech to Human Cyborgs
May 26 2016 // A fragmented Internet, continued experimentation with monetary policy and another round of economic crises in emerging markets top Swiss Re’s latest roundup of emerging risks to watch out for. Beyond those top three,...
Labor Unions Searching for Strategies to Join the Gig Economy
May 24 2016 // The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers trumpeted an agreement reached earlier this month to represent New York Uber drivers, saying it “gives organized labor an opportunity to shape the new...
Pennsylvania Regulator Offers Consumer Tips for Airbnb Users
May 23 2016 // Pennsylvania Insurance Commissioner Teresa Miller is offering consumer tips for both guests and hosts of home sharing sites like Airbnb, as use of these sites may rise in Pennsylvania with the state hosting two major...
Declarations
May 23 2016 // Campus Guns “College campuses as gun-free zones present an environment where murderers, rapists and other criminals may commit crimes without fear of being harmed by their victims.” —An NRA lobbyist who...
Business Travel Fuels Growth of Uber Use in Arkansas
May 20 2016 // Business travelers needing a ride in Arkansas are increasingly using their thumbs — not to hitchhike, but to tap the Uber app on their smartphones. And despite class-action lawsuits by drivers and some job actions,...
Suit Against Airbnb Alleges Racial Discrimination in Housing Rentals
May 20 2016 // Airbnb Inc. was accused in a civil rights lawsuit of ignoring a Virginia man who said a host with the online room rental company had rejected his reservation request because he’s black. Gregory Selden, 25, sued in...
Austin Riders Look to Craigslist after Exit of Uber and Lyft
May 19 2016 // After a car wreck last year put Akhila Sivakumar in the hospital for more than a month and left her with burns and bruises across her body, she was hesitant to drive again. So when the 22-year-old began to look for jobs...
Uber Driver First Named to Lead Suit Opposes $100M Settlement
May 18 2016 // The driver originally named to lead a class-action lawsuit over pay and benefits against Uber Technologies Inc. is opposing the rideshare company’s $100 million settlement, saying he was duped by the drivers’...
Did Uber Driver Settlement Lawyer Win at Expense of Drivers?
May 16 2016 // The lawyer who struck a $100 million deal with Uber Technologies Inc. is being accused of greed by some of the drivers covered by the accord who want her bumped. “She has single-handedly stuck a knife in the back of...
Uber Tells Judge Not to Trust Cab Companies in Battle Over Safety
May 13 2016 // Uber Technologies Inc. fired back at taxi operators accusing it of lying about superior safety, telling a judge the cab companies “fabricated” a customer endorsement with a photo of MySpace’s co-founder...
Lyft Raises Offer to Drivers to $27M in Contractors V. Employees Suit
May 12 2016 // Lyft Inc. raised its proposed payout to 163,000 California drivers to $27 million in their lawsuit to be treated as employees rather than contractors. The revised settlement comes after a San Francisco federal judge...
Uber, Lyft Suspend Service in Texas Capital Because of Background Checks
May 11 2016 // Uber and Lyft have suspended ridesharing service in Austin, Texas after voters decided against overturning city requirements that include fingerprint-based background checks for their drivers. Nearly 56 percent of voters...
Background Checks For Uber, Lyft Drivers Established in Iowa
May 11 2016 // Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad has signed a bill into law that creates new statewide rules for ridesharing companies such as Uber and Uber to do business in Iowa. Branstad signed the bill this week following approval this...
Uber to Start Guild for 35K Drivers in New York City
May 11 2016 // Uber Technologies Inc. agreed to start a guild for 35,000 drivers in New York that will help them negotiate with the ride-hailing company, though the group will have less power to resolve disputes than a full-fledged...
Voters in Texas Capital Keep Fingerprinting for Rideshare Drivers
May 10 2016 // Fingerprinting drivers for ride-hailing companies must continue in Texas’ capital city after voters rejected a $9 million campaign by Uber and Lyft to overturn the safety measure. Both Uber and Lyft threatened to...
