This Week in Rideshare: Race, Privacy, and Food.
Drivers go after Uber, new features on the app, and grocery service comes to Manhattan. LegalRideshare breaks it down.
MONDAY 10/26/20
A new lawsuit aimed at Uber claims they fire drivers based on a racially-biased system. NPR reported:
“Uber has long known that relying on a system that depends on passenger evaluation of drivers is discriminatory,” wrote the driver’s attorney, Shannon Liss-Riordan, in the federal lawsuit, which was filed in San Francisco and is seeking class-action status. The suit claims Uber fires drivers if their average ratings drop too low.
TUESDAY 10/27/20
In an effort to make rides safer, Uber has rolled out some new privacy features. VentureBeat explains:
Uber’s View as Driver feature allows riders to see what personal information drivers can access. Before, during, and after the ride, riders can see what personal details their driver receives — including their first name, photo, and pickup and drop-off location. Riders are also able to confirm that drivers can’t see certain private information — including their last name, phone number, profile photo, and the rating they give their driver. The feature will be available as a prompt on the main rider interface. According to privacy engineering executive Zach Singleton, View as Driver is a first in the ride-sharing industry.
WEDNESDAY 10/28/20
Manhattan gets some added value as Uber Eats adds grocery delivery to its platform. New York Post explains:
What supermarkets a user sees on their app will depend on their location, and whether or not Uber’s algorithm determines that it would be able to fulfill an order within a promised time frame.
Customers will be able to request immediate delivery of their groceries, or schedule their shopping order for a time that is more convenient for them.
THURSDAY 10/29/20
Riders dodged a fee bullet in New Jersey as they decided to postpone a fee increase for getting into an Uber, Lyft or Taxi. NJ.com reported:
Travelers using for-hire vehicles such as Uber and Lyft will pay a higher $2.50 pick-up and drop-off fee, versus the $1.25 fee for taxis, when they kick in next year.
Both fees were supposed to take effect on Oct. 3. Taxi fees will increase again to $1.75 on Oct. 1, 2022 under the original plan.
FRIDAY 10/30/20
Looking for Alcohol delivery? You may get more than you’ve asked for as privacy becomes a new issue. The Guardian explains:
“You wouldn’t need to take a photo of it and one of the big risks with all of this is identity theft,” he said. “All of these credentials like driver’s licences and so on … the more there are copies that are out there proliferating, the greater chance there is of all that being exploited for, among other things, identity theft.”
Identity theft support service IDcare has said people’s driver’s licences are the most sought-after form of ID for identity theft because it is the most common form of ID accepted in government and financial identity checking.
LegalRideshare is the first law firm in the United States to focus exclusively on Uber®, Lyft®, gig workers, delivery and e-scooter accidents and injuries.
