Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Uber’s California dreamin’ turns into a nightmare
Yahoo Finance ^ | 07/16/2015 | By Bill McColl

Posted on 07/16/2015 12:00:37 PM PDT by SeekAndFind

An administrative law judge for the California Public Utilities Commission is ordering the popular ride service company to pay a $7.3 million dollar fine for not turning over information the regulators have requested. The judge says Uber needs to provide:

* Accessibility information: the number and percentage of customers who requested accessible vehicles, and how often the company was able to comply with requests for accessible vehicles

* Service information: the number of rides requested and accepted by drivers within each zip code where the company operates, and the number of rides that were requested but not accepted; as well as the amounts paid/donated

* Driver safety information: the cause of each driving incident involving a driver

The decision gives Uber 30 days to respond or it will be suspended from operating in the state. The company says that the data regulators want could violate the privacy of riders and drivers and will appeal.

Yahoo Finance Senior Columnist Michael Santoli sees this as a head-on collision between the new economy and the old way of doing things.

“It really does seem like a bureaucratic tussle-- a regulatory agency demanding information from a class of companies that hasn’t existed for very long,” he says. “It’s kind of an aggressive, arguably belligerent, company going against kind of an immovable regulatory structure in California.”

Santoli feels this is also an example of the hurdles Uber faces all the time.

“I don’t think the basics of this actual dispute are that serious,” he argues. “But it does show Uber’s general challenge which is to try to penetrate these very entrenched interests -- regulators or the regulated taxi services.”

(Excerpt) Read more at finance.yahoo.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Society
KEYWORDS: california; uber
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-26 last
To: SeekAndFind
The same thing is beginning to happen with Airbnb.

The state will crack down on entrepreneurial endeavors who are not paying obeisance to the state coffers.

21 posted on 07/16/2015 12:54:27 PM PDT by Lizavetta
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

“Accessibility information: the number and percentage of customers who requested accessible vehicles, and how often the company was able to comply with requests for accessible vehicles “

Your Honda FIT was not readily accessible by that family of 7 illegal immigrants.


22 posted on 07/16/2015 12:58:00 PM PDT by USMCPOP (Father of LCpl. Karl Linn, KIA 1/26/2005 Al Haqlaniyah, Iraq)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: DouglasKC

“Nobody that drives or gets rides is employed by Uber right?”

Yeah, that was what they were trying to argue, but they already lost that fight in court. The government decides who is and who isn’t an employee, not the employer.


23 posted on 07/16/2015 1:18:08 PM PDT by Boogieman
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

No sympathy from me. Uber hired Plouffe. Screw ‘em.


24 posted on 07/16/2015 1:36:05 PM PDT by bkopto (Free men are not equal. Equal men are not free.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Pearls Before Swine
Do I detect the hidden hand of some taxi operators? Or limo companies?

Nope.

Hillary.

25 posted on 07/16/2015 1:56:08 PM PDT by Talisker (One who commands, must obey.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind
An administrative law judge

Right there's your problem. It's an unnecessary and tyrannical layer of government not envisioned by the Founders. And it's eating our economy alive.

26 posted on 07/16/2015 2:17:59 PM PDT by backwoods-engineer
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-26 last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson