Lyft driver sues company for $1M after being abducted, sexually assaulted by armed rider with long criminal history
A Houston area woman has filed a lawsuit against Lyft after she was held at gunpoint, kidnapped and sexually assaulted by a rider while working for the company, according to the lawsuit.
Hereโs what we know about Uber and Lyftโs planned exit from Minneapolis in May
The future of Uber and Lyft in Minneapolis has garnered concern and debate in recent weeks after the City Council voted last month to require that ride-hailing companies pay drivers a higher rate while they are within city limits.
Lyft and Uber say they will leave Minneapolis after city council forces them to pay drivers more
Lyft and Uber say they will cease operations in Minneapolis after the cityโs council voted Thursday to override a mayoral veto and require ride-hailing services to increase driver wages to the equivalent of the local hourly minimum wage of $15.57.
โI was chokedโ: Lyft driver recounts moment rider used seatbelt to strangle him on Northwest Freeway
A Houston-area rideshare driver is lucky to be alive after being strangled by a rider with his seatbelt while driving on the freeway, before the rider damaged his car and attempted to break in to a nearby home.
New rule tightens worker classification standards; Uber, Lyft say their drivers won't be affected
The Biden administration has enacted a new labor rule that aims to prevent the misclassification of workers as โindependent contractors,โ a step that could bolster both legal protections and compensation for millions in the U.S. workforce.
Uber and Lyft to pay $328 million to settle dispute over taxes and fees paid by New York drivers
Ride-hailing companies Uber and Lyft will pay a combined $328 million to settle complaints that they improperly saddled their New York drivers with taxes and fees that should have been been paid by passengers.
Lyft to pick up new CEO amid deepening post-pandemic losses
Lyft co-founders Logan Green and John Zimmer are relinquishing their leadership roles to make way for a former Amazon executive as the ride-hailing service struggles to recover from the pandemic while long-time rival Uber has been regaining its momentum.
Uber, Lyft team up on database to expose abusive drivers
Uber and Lyft have teamed up to create a database of drivers ousted from their ride-hailing services for complaints about sexual assault and other crimes that have raised passenger-safety concerns for years. The clearinghouse unveiled Thursday, March 11, will initially list drivers expelled by the ride-hailing rivals in the U.S. Michael Wolfe, a Uber driver who also leads a Washington state group representing about 2,000 other drivers, praised both ride-hailing services for trying to weed out the abuses in the industry. AdIt could also help appease U.S. lawmakers, who have criticized Uber and Lyft in the past for inadequate safety protections for their riders. After Uber rebuffed the request to protect the victims' privacy, the agency slapped the company with a $59 million fine.
California court rejects lawsuit challenging ride-share vote
The lawsuit filed Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2-021 in the California Supreme Court said Proposition 22 is unconstitutional because it limits the power of the Legislature to grant workers the right to organize and excludes drivers from being eligible for workers' compensation. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel, File)LOS ANGELES โ The California Supreme Court rejected a lawsuit Wednesday that sought to overturn a ballot measure that kept app-based ride-hailing and delivery drivers independent contractors instead of employees eligible for benefits and job protections. The lawsuit had been filed directly with the high court claiming the measure was unconstitutional because it limits the power of the Legislature and excludes drivers from being eligible for workersโ compensation. Unions, who joined drivers in the lawsuit, spent about $20 million to challenge the proposition. AdWhen the lawsuit seeking speedy review was filed directly with the Supreme Court last month, Mary-Beth Moylan, associate dean of McGeorge Law School in Sacramento, said the first challenge would be getting the court to take the case.
Some Uber, Lyft drivers sue over California ballot measure
The measure, which was passed in November with 58% support, was the most expensive in state history with Uber, Lyft and other services pouring $200 million in support of it. โGenerally speaking, courts in California don't like to overturn the will of the people,โ Moylan said. There are instances where the California courts have come in and said ... it's nice that this is what the people wanted to do, but our constitution doesn't permit the people to do this." The law expanded a California Supreme Court ruling that limited businesses from classifying certain workers as independent contractors. Another claim in the lawsuit alleges the measure violates a rule limiting ballot measures to a single subject.
Asian shares slip on faltering hopes for COVID vaccines
Stocks fell back across Asia on Thursday after gains for big technology shares pushed most Wall Street benchmarks higher. Tokyo's Nikkei 225 index gained 0.4% to 25,459.13 despite a report that machinery orders fell in September, suggesting weakness in corporate investment. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index fell 0.1% to 26,206.78 and the Shanghai Composite index declined 0.3% to 3,332.24. Markets have been riding a wave of relief over hopes for a potential vaccine to beat back the pandemic. Strategists along Wall Street are raising their forecasts for stock prices on expectations that political control of Washington will remain split between the parties.
Ride-hailing, delivery giants win fight against labor law
Uber, Lyft, Doordash, Instacart and others sought to get out of those requirements, and after failing in court, succeeded in convincing voters to give them an exemption from most of the year-old lawโs provisions. A record $200 million spending spree by the companies and their supporters helped them win the vote. The investment yielded a huge return for Uber and Lyft, whose combined market value climbed by $10 billion on Wednesday. Uber told its drivers the company would let drivers know how to enroll in benefits in the next few weeks. โItโs not really fair that Uber, Lyft etc.
California court says Uber, Lyft drivers are employees
SAN FRANCISCO โ A California appeals court on Thursday upheld an order requiring Uber and Lyft to treat their California drivers as employees instead of independent contractors, less than two weeks before voters will be asked to exempt the ride-hailing giants from the state's gig economy law. Uber and Lyft โ who along with DoorDash have heavily bankrolled the ballot measure โ had appealed an August preliminary injunction by a San Francisco judge. Uber and Lyft issued statements noting that the ruling doesn't take immediate affect and urging voters to approve Prop. Treating Uber and Lyft drivers as employees instead of independent contractors would guarantee benefits such as overtime, sick leave and expense reimbursement for workers who make up much of the freewheeling gig economy. Lawyers for Uber and Lyft say drivers are not fundamental to the business, arguing the companies are โmulti-sided platformsโ whose activities encompass much more than transportation.
Lyft to offer free rides to NRG to drop off mail-in ballots
HOUSTON โ Ridesharing service Lyft is teaming up with the โMore Than A Vote' Coalition to offer free rides to NRG to drop off mail-in ballots in response to Gov. In a tweet posted Oct. 6, Lyft riders in Harris County can get a free ride to NRG Arena using promo code HOUVOTE on their Lyft app to drop off their ballot. โHarris County, we see you, we got you,โ The coalition said in the tweet. In Harris County, home to 2.4 million voters, Texas shut down 11 of 12 ballot drop off locations. Get a free @Lyft (up to $15) in Harris County to drop off your ballot at NRG Arena using code HOUVOTE.
Uber, Lyft look to kill California law on app-based drivers
Voters are being asked to decide via Proposition 22 whether to create an exemption to a new state law aimed at providing wage and benefit protections to Uber, Lyft and other app-based drivers. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)LOS ANGELES โ Californians are being asked to decide if Uber, Lyft and other app-based drivers should remain independent contractors or be eligible for the benefits that come with being company employees. Voters are weighing whether to create an exemption to a new state law aimed at providing wage and benefit protections to drivers. The landmark labor law known known as AB5 threatens to upend the app-based business model, which offers great flexibility to drivers who can work whenever they choose. Uber and Lyft have maintained that their drivers meet the criteria to be independent contractors, not employees.
How to stay safe when using ride-sharing services
He shared safety strategies he said all riders should know before ever getting into the back of a rideshare vehicle. According to Dupree, sitting behind your driver will make it more difficult for them to grab you for an attack. โIf youโre behind him, you have the time to get out of the vehicle,โ said Dupree. Check the window to see if it can roll down, that way you can open the door from the outside. Is he having conversations on a cellphone, in a very low tone or low voice that sounds suspicious?
Thieves rob 23-year-old Lyft driver at knifepoint, drain his accounts then steals his momโs vehicle, he says
A Lyft driver said he was robbed at knifepoint. โAfter that, they put a hoodie, my hoodie over me so I couldnโt see what they were doing or where they were going,โ Bell said. โThey took up my ID and said if I do anything stupid that theyโre going to come to my apartment and they were going to do something,โ he said. Lyft released a written statement:The safety of our community is fundamental to Lyft, and the incident described is deeply troubling. We have reached out to the driver to offer our support and stand ready to assist law enforcement with any investigation.