Latest Sharing Economy Headlines

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

Gig Firms Want California to Override Court Ruling

Aug 8 2018 // Leading gig economy companies including Uber and Lyft are quietly lobbying California’s top Democrats to override or undermine a court ruling that could make many of their contract workers into employees.In April,...

Declarations

Aug 6 2018 // 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...

Massachusetts Lawmakers Approve Rental, Voter, Climate Bills as Deadline Looms

Aug 1 2018 // The Massachusetts Legislature gave final approval Monday to a bill that would tax and regulate short-term rentals, including those offered by Airbnb and other online platforms.After weeks of negotiations, House and Senate...

Update: Chubb Partners with Uber to Cover South African Drivers

Aug 1 2018 // Uber Technologies Inc. is partnering with insurance company Chubb Ltd. to cover its South African drivers in case of death or injury as violent attacks plague the country’s cities.The new deal will pay out a lump sum...

Uber Halts Driverless Truck Manufacturing to Focus on Cars

Jul 31 2018 // Uber will stop developing self-driving trucks that have been hauling cargo on U.S. highways, the ride-hailing company said on Monday, seeking to focus its autonomous-vehicle technology solely on cars.Through its...

City Council Aims to Make New York First U.S. City to Cap Uber, Others

Jul 30 2018 // New York City is moving toward becoming the first major U.S. municipality to cap ride-sharing services, sparking a tsunami of protest on Friday from Uber and others, which warned that those living in far-flung...

Pittsburgh Sees Hands-On Restart of Uber’s Self-Driving Cars

Jul 27 2018 // Uber has taken the first step toward relaunching its self-driving cars on Pittsburgh-area streets four months after a fatal accident involving one of the cars in Arizona.A spokeswoman said the company put a handful of...

Lyft Faces Patent Suit by Professor Over Ridesharing Model

Jul 25 2018 // A retired Georgia Institute of Technology engineering professor described as a “pioneer” in developing the idea of ride sharing sued Lyft Inc., claiming it infringed his patent for technology underlying the...

Lyft Will Beef Up Background Checks Following California Driver Arrest

Jul 20 2018 // Ridesharing company Lyft said Wednesday that it’s beefing up its background checks after a driver arrested for rape was found to be in the United States illegally.The company’s “enhanced detection...

California Suspect in Serial Rapes Was a Lyft Driver

Jul 19 2018 // Ridesharing company Lyft said this week that it’s investigating how a former driver now charged in a series of rapes passed a background check even though federal immigration officials say the suspect was living in...

Uber Said to be Facing Probe into Alleged Gender Discrimination

Jul 18 2018 // Uber is facing a U.S. government investigation into allegations that the ride-hailing service set up a pay structure that discriminated against its female workers.The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission opened the...

Judge Rules Airbnb Can’t Dodge Aimco’s Illegal Sublease Claims in Miami

Jul 16 2018 // Airbnb Inc., having escaped a major U.S. landlord’s lawsuit over partying tourists at high-end Los Angeles apartments, will have to defend itself against the same allegations by the same landlord in Miami.A Florida...

Alabama Ridesharing Law Now in Effect

Jul 16 2018 // A new Alabama law allows ridesharing companies, such as Uber and Lyft, to operate statewide.The law, approved by the Alabama Legislature earlier this year, went into effect July 1. The Alabama Public Service Commission...

How Much Americans Could Save by Choosing Ridesharing Driverless Cars Over Owning Personal Vehicles

Jul 16 2018 // Self-driving cars promise safer roads, less traffic and increased mobility. Some autonomous vehicle proponents also maintain they will save time and money. But will they really save Americans time and money? And even if...

More Employers Adopting Continuous Background Checks on Employees

Jul 12 2018 // Jay Cradeur takes pride in his 4.9 driver rating on Uber Technologies Inc.’s five-star scale and the almost 19,000 rides he’s given in the capital of ride sharing, San Francisco. So he was puzzled — and...

How Much Americans Could Save by Ridesharing Driverless Cars Over Owning

Jul 3 2018 // Self-driving cars promise safer roads, less traffic and increased mobility.Some autonomous vehicle proponents also maintain they will save time and money. But will they really save Americans time and money? And even if...

NYC Drivers for Uber, Other Apps to Get Vision Care Coverage

Jul 2 2018 // Drivers for car services and ride-hailing apps like Uber and Lyft are usually on their own when it comes to buying health insurance, but starting Sunday in New York they will now be able to get coverage for vision care as...

Alabama Ridesharing Law Takes Effect

Jul 2 2018 // A new Alabama law allows ridesharing companies, such as Uber and Lyft, to operate statewide.The law, approved by the Alabama Legislature earlier this year, went into effect July 1. The Alabama Public Service Commission...

Uber Granted 15-Month License to Keep Operating in London

Jun 26 2018 // Uber Technologies Inc. was given an 15-month license to operate in London by a judge after the ride-sharing service worked out most of its differences with regulators.Judge Emma Arbuthnot granted the license in a ruling...

Honolulu Bills Aimed at Taxi, Ridesharing Companies

Jun 25 2018 // Officials in Honolulu, Hawaii are introducing two bills that would make regulations on traditional taxicab companies more in line with regulations on ridesharing companies.Taxi companies such as Charley’s, The Cab...