Taxi Companies Sue Uber For False Advertising On Safety 82
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."
With Uber at least there is tracking and identity (Score:4, Insightful)
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.
Re: With Uber at least there is tracking and ident (Score:2, Insightful)
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!
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...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...
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You can't sue unless you're an injured party, though. Being a competitor doesn't generally rise to that level. (In some cases, a lawsuit as a competitor would be illegal in and of itself for being anti-competitive.)
If you bought the product and found out it was misrepresented, that's an injury.
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For your future interactions with people, when you are actually right, know that it would be more productive to give the reasons why than to throw feces like a monkey.
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What [google.com] about [google.com] these [google.com] people [google.com]?
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 see
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Oh, the demonstration of humanity. You must be a taxi driver.
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Dat delicious butthurt. I'm going to save your tears to go on my morning toast.
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Re:With Uber at least there is tracking and identi (Score:4, Insightful)
"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.
All Ubers are walk-ups (Score:2)
Since there is no one fixed location Uber is allowed to operate from, ALL uber rides are the equivilent of walk-ups - you are just using an app to hail instead of getting the visibly. Often you can see there's an uber on the same street you are standing on; you still use the app because that's the only way the driver gets paid.
Do Uber have hidden mics, panic buttons, and radio code words for trouble?
Yes, the app offers that (panic button anyway, plenty of apps to do the other things for you).
I mean, YOU
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Licensed cab drivers have comprehensive record checks.
Licensed cab drivers have adequate insurance.
Licensed cab drivers (in any decent place) drive very identifiable cars, and anyone else trying to drive in a similar car will stand out like a sore thumb.
Licensed cab drivers (in the best places) have to take some of the toughest exams in the world for spatial awareness (i.e. London's "The Knowledge" exam).
An Uber driver need give so little evidence to become a contractor that he could easily have faked his i
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Uber provides commercial insurance starting when a passenger gets into the vehicle.
Uber drivers drive in cars that are identified on the ap, and tracked via not one but two separate GPS devices.
Uber drivers use GPS, which knows the roads better than any human.
Sounds like some anon in this thread is butthurt at the fact that he's obsolete. Cry me a river. Now there's a talent that won't be made obsolete for some time.
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Uber drivers use GPS, which knows the roads better than any human.
Really? I've had many different GPS systems in many hire cars. All of which were up to date, and still they would tell me to turn off a freeway onto an overhead bridge when there was no offramp, or instruct me to get off the freeway, head back down the other way for 5km, then do a U turn and go back in my original destination. I havebeen instructed to leave the freeway, cross the adjoining intersection, and then rejoin the freeway.
Moreso, a GPS will not tell you that road A is congested at a particular time
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I suggest you go read up on how the operators of London's Black Cabs are tested, and what they have to do to get their licence.
And then ask some Londoner's whether they think this fêted test is really worth paying for.
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I suggest you go read up on how the operators of London's Black Cabs are tested, and what they have to do to get their licence.
And then ask some Londoner's whether they think this fêted test is really worth paying for.
It is as long as you don't want to go Sarf of the River. It is a curious fact that ALL black cab drivers live in Essex.
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And yes, Uber's GPS includes traffic and weather conditions. Potholes are transient, you avoide them by keeping your eyes on the road, not by memorizing their locations for a bloody exam.
Sorry if I don't think that you need a fucking PhD in Roadology to drive a car from point A to point B.
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Licensed cab drivers have comprehensive record checks.
In places where the regulators aren't simply an extension of the taxi unions [tfl.gov.uk] and want to see innovation and an improved service they work with Uber and Uber drivers have comprehensive checks too. If Uber are using unlicensed drivers in your city you've got the regulators to thank for not licensing them as much as Uber for employing them.
Licensed cab drivers have adequate insurance.
See above, although AFAIK Uber drivers are required to have appropriate liability insurance everywhere.
Licensed cab drivers (in any decent place) drive very identifiable cars, and anyone else trying to drive in a similar car will stand out like a sore thumb.
I can't speak for other cities but, in London, anyone can drive a blac
Re:With Uber at least there is tracking and identi (Score:4, Informative)
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.
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The cab stands at airports, and the cab stands near train stations have gotten regular business from me when I've been in a hurry.
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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.
1. Hopefully they're licensed. They might not have a commercial license, but they have a driver's license that allows them to drive the route they're taking you without you being in the car, or if you're 'just a friend', etc... What extra training do you think they need to drive you there for money, and if it increases safety why don't we require it of the non-commercial drivers as well?
2. Serial killer - Cab background checks aren't going to catch a serial killer, and there have been serial killers who
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5. Equipment inspected. I'm not sure what role this is supposed to solve, at least in the USA and with a 'clean looking' vehicle.
It's a lie anyway, anyone who's been in a cab knows that cabs are regularly in shit mechanical condition. Clunks, rattles, I've definitely been in cabs that felt like they were about to disintegrate. I seriously wondered from noises if vehicles would make the trip several times.
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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 any of that with the licensed taxis either. You are asserting that a barrier to entry will drive off the bad ones. Yes, I've seen that asserted many times, but I've never seen protectionism of a industry be a good thing for the users. With the apps, you get reviews and ratings. When you call in for a taxi pickup, you have *fewer* protections.
How provincial of you (Score:1)
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.
I've travelled to scores of countries. In every one, at the airport (or shipping port or even many hotels), getting a cab I was using a "dispatcher" (called the person monitoring the head of the taxi queue).
Not once in any country have I ever been asked who I was, and often not even asked where I was going (the cab driver asks that)
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You say Uber " Drivers are NOT trained or licensed"
I'm not 100%, but I suspect "legitimate" taxi drivers don't have any special training either. If they do, what would it even entail? Providing customer service?
Also, you say with Uber "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"
Not to berate the average cab driver or service, but I just don't believe they are the cream of the crop of society.
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Where I live, if you get paid to drive over public roads, it requires a commercial driver's license. CDL's require you to pass additional testing and medical evaluations which are not required for your average private driver. Taxi services also must be licensed and are regulated by both the state and federal laws.
My understanding of Uber and Lyft are that they allow private citizens to arrange for ride "sharing" with other private individuals. Where nothing prevents such drivers from being properly lice
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I don't see why Taxi companies don't arrange with Uber and Lyft to do their dispatching anyway. The Taxi company could then dump the bulk of their office staff needed to answer the phone and dispatch cabs, then arrange with the online service for a volume discount...
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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
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No it isn't, you big fat idiot. The trip record will show an anomalously long stop/side trip, and your vagina will be full of evidence of one sort or the other. No jury is going to believe that some woman just asked her Uber driver to pull over so they could have rough sex.
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Uber has countless problems and is in lots of legal difficulties. And yet the fans STILL defend it.
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It has way fewer problems than traditional cabs. We defend Uber because we are tired of decades of horrific cab driving experiences...
As for the "legal troubles" note those are all from cab unions protecting a sweet, sweet racket. They can hear the music playing but they plan to squeeze the riding public for every last cent before the music stops and they have to compete on service.
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we are tired of decades of horrific cab driving experiences
Those of us with decades of no horrific cab driving experiences fail to see the problem that Uber is allegedly solving.
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How about never dealing with cash, never calculating tip, never even discussing payment, receipts sent to your email, and never having to wait more than five minutes for a ride.
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Aside from experiences, there's also the price. In some countries (Denmark) regular cab fare is pretty expensive and Uber and similar is far cheaper. Until recently it was a requirement that expensive high end cars (usually Mercedes) were used as cabs, and now more regular cars are often used, but the fares are centrally controlled and they have not come down.
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maybe for you, personally I nearly always book my taxi through a dispatcher or online use a PC or a mobile app. tracking is the same, but on top of that I get insurance coverage and a reasonable certainty that the driver is actually licensed and his vehicle is regularly inspected (pretty important in an accident).
First post! (Score:3)
Or it would have beeen if my bloody Uber driver knew where he was going.
Uber: It's UBER Safe! (Score:5, Informative)
Seven Year Old San Francisco Girl Struck and Killed By Uber Driver; Uber Denies Responsibility http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/... [sfgate.com]
Boston Uber Driver Charged with indecent Assault and Battery http://www.bostonglobe.com/met... [bostonglobe.com]
Off-Duty LA Uber Driver Accused of Sexual Assault http://www.bizjournals.com/los... [bizjournals.com]
Chicago Uber Driver With Felony Conviction Charged With Battery For Allegedly Hitting Passenger http://www.forbes.com/sites/el... [forbes.com]
Writer and Activist Reports Being Choked in DC; Uber Denies The Event and Responsibility http://valleywag.gawker.com/ub... [gawker.com]
DC Uber Driver Allegedly Assaults Customer for Burping http://www.washingtoncitypaper... [washingtoncitypaper.com]
San Francisco Uber Customer Claims Abuse and Assault by Uber Driver (Pando) http://pando.com/2013/11/25/ub... [pando.com]
Passenger Struck In Head With Hammer by UberX Driver http://www.forbes.com/sites/el... [forbes.com]
Uber Driver Pulls Gun on Valet in Atlanta http://pando.com/2014/09/08/at... [pando.com]
Uber Driver Punches Passenger in Oklahoma http://newsok.com/oklahoma-cit... [newsok.com]
Lyft Driver Attacks Pedestrian in San Francisco http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news... [nbcbayarea.com]
Lyft Driver Brandishes Knife in Los Angeles http://www.laweekly.com/2013-0... [laweekly.com]
Uber Customer Sues for $2M over Alleged Driver Stabbing in DC http://dcinno.streetwise.co/20... [streetwise.co]
DC Uber Driver Allegedly Rapes Customer http://betabeat.com/2013/03/ub... [betabeat.com]
Uber Driver Charged with Fondling Passenger in Chicago http://valleywag.gawker.com/ub... [gawker.com]
DC Uber Driver Arrested for Alleged Rape But Not Charged Despite Strong Evidence http://www.washingtonpost.com/... [washingtonpost.com]
Another DC Uber Driver Accused of Molesting Uber Rider http://valleywag.gawker.com/an... [gawker.com]
Passenger Struck In Head With Hammer by UberX Driver http://www.forbes.com/sites/el... [forbes.com]
Uber Driver in India Accused of Rape http://www.bbc.c [bbc.com]
Same for cabs, only moreso. (Score:1)
Googe "Cab driver rapes" and "Cab driver killed" to see how safe cabs are.
Anything you can dig up on Uber, cabs have been having the same problem lots longer and mostly unreported since there is no tracking.
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Just look at Google: https://www.google.com/webhp?s... [google.com] Uber comes up the search over and over and over again. And considering how many legit cab drivers there are vs how many Uber drivers there are -- it's pretty fucked up that a fledgeling service shows up so frequently in global results. Granted,
Wow, you can Google (Score:3)
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 hav
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The taxi industry's "safety fee" is embedded in the fare and regulatory cost burden. There is also the inference that the regulations provide some guarantee of safety, which is disingenuous also.
Background check != safety (Score:2)
Live Scan is just running a fingerprint to look for a match in a criminal justice system. It's a part of running a background check. I fail to see what that has to do with safety.
For fuck's sake, why not just advertise that you run an MVR on a taxi driver's CDL?
End of business model (Score:5, Insightful)
No worries people, because drivers will soon become obsolete anyway...
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Not for as long as the taxi industry can bribe the government to keep protecting their niche for them.
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So that's why they raised that money (Score:3)
$1.6B for paying lawyers.
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Perhaps the $1 goes in to the "customer got raped and is trying to sue us" insurance fund.
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