Latest Sharing Economy Headlines

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

Former California Rideshare Driver Charged with Assaulting Multiple Passengers

Sep 23 2016 // A former driver for Uber and Lyft has been charged with sexually assaulting several women while on the job, and Southern California investigators said that there are likely more victims.An 18-year-old college student...

Peer-to-Peer Personal Lines Insurer Lemonade Opens for Business in New York

Sep 21 2016 // Peer-to-peer insurance startup Lemonade is open for business in New York, nine months after the startup’s debut and initial venture funding announcement.The New York-based company, which its founders promise will...

Judge Rules Uber Can Settle with Customers over Tips

Sep 16 2016 // Uber Technologies Inc. won permission to settle claims it misled consumers by charging them a 20 percent “gratuity” even though drivers got only about half of it.U.S. District Judge Edward Chen in San Francisco...

Pittsburgh Uber Riders Preview Driverless Cars Through Test Program

Sep 15 2016 // Uber riders in Pittsburgh can get a glimpse of the future by summoning a car capable of handling most of the tasks of driving on its own.Starting Wednesday morning, a fleet of self-driving Ford Fusions will pick up Uber...

Uber Debuts Its Food Delivery Service in Sin City

Sep 12 2016 // Uber drivers are now take-out delivery drivers too in Las Vegas, Nev.The ridesharing company has launched its UberEATS food delivery service in the Las Vegas area. Users can now use the app to order food from local...

Uber, Drivers Resume Talks After $100 Million Deal Falls Apart

Sep 12 2016 // Uber Technologies Inc. doesn’t appear ready to walk away from further negotiations with its drivers in their dispute over whether they should be treated as employees rather than independent contractors.Three weeks...

Appeals Court Grants Uber Pro-Arbitration Ruling, Thwarting Drivers’ Class Action

Sep 7 2016 // Uber Technologies Inc.’s arbitration agreements were largely ruled by an appeals court to be valid and enforceable in a blow to driver efforts to secure the benefits and protections of employees in California.The...

Pennsylvania Reinstates Uber’s Record $11.4M Fine

Sep 7 2016 // A Pennsylvania regulator on Thursday reinstated a record $11.4 million fine against the popular ride-sharing service Uber Technologies Inc. for operating illegally in the state in 2014.By a 4-1 vote, the Pennsylvania...

Uber Must Face Claims of Creating Fake Lyft Accounts

Sep 6 2016 // While Uber Technologies Inc. fights to keep its own drivers out of court with their grievances, it can’t force arbitration on Lyft Inc. drivers who accuse the ride-hailing behemoth of dirty tricks.Uber will have to...

Uber-Like Video Service DropIn Lets Adjusters Assess Damage from Their Desks

Sep 2 2016 // A new service promises to provide insurance claims adjusters with videos of losses without them ever having to leave their desks. The videos would be supplied by an Uber-like network of smartphone users and, eventually,...

Judge Finds $28M Uber Offer to Settle Rider Fee Class Action Unfair

Sep 1 2016 // Uber Technologies Inc. was dealt a second rejection of a legal settlement, this time in a case over claims the company misled riders when it charged them a $1 “safe rides fee” that earned the company almost...

Governor Cuomo Reviewing Bill to Establish Fines for New York Airbnb Users

Aug 30 2016 // New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo must soon decide whether to authorize hefty fines for many people who offer to rent out their New York City apartments on Airbnb.Meanwhile, the online booking service said it’s policing its...

Judge Grants Uber’s Request to Put New York Price Fixing, Arbitration Lawsuit on Hold

Aug 29 2016 // A federal judge on Friday granted a request by Uber Technologies Inc. and its chief executive officer to put a passenger’s price-fixing lawsuit against them on hold, while they appeal his refusal to let them...

Uber Opposes Employee Status But Offers Its Freelance Drivers Retirement App

Aug 25 2016 // They may not have a 401(k) plan, but drivers working through Uber Technologies Inc.’s platform will soon be able to open a retirement account right in the app. And in traditional Silicon Valley style, the...

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...