Free Republic

Uber launched a feature Monday to allow both women riders and drivers across the U.S. to be matched with other women for trips, expanding a pilot program aimed at addressing concerns about the safety of its ride-hailing platform. The new feature is being rolled out nationwide despite an ongoing class action lawsuit against the policy in California, filed by Uber drivers who argue that it is discriminatory against men. Rival ride-hailing company Lyft is also facing a discrimination lawsuit over a similar offering that it introduced nationwide in 2024. The feature, announced in a blog post, allows women to request...

A Seattle woman who shot and killed a rideshare driver, then stole his car and drove to get her haircut, has pleaded guilty to murder. Ne'Iani Allen-Bailey, 20, faces between 15 and 23 years in prison when she is sentenced later this month for her plea to second-degree murder with a firearm enhancement, according to filings in King County Superior Court. In August 2023, Allen-Bailey killed Amare Geda, 52, as he was parked on 1st Avenue South in the SODO neighborhood. Geda was driving for a rideshare service and had a "Lyft" jacket on at the time he was killed....

The FBI thwarted an apparent plot to harm employees at a Florida office of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), according to court documents filed Monday. Law enforcement arrested Forrest Kendall Pemberton after he allegedly traveled to Plantation, Fla., in search of AIPAC’s office with several firearms, including an AR-15 rifle. Pemberton told police he went to the site, a former AIPAC office, to “scout” out the location before returning with the firearms, according to an affidavit signed by FBI special agent Taylor Nicklin. He was intercepted in a ride-share vehicle carrying the guns on Dec. 25, the first...

Uber’s meteoric rise since its founding in 2009 — built on the simple question “What if you could request a ride simply by tapping your phone?” — made it a poster child for the industrial “disruption” that Silicon Valley entrepreneurs sought to unleash on the world.But, despite its impact, Uber lost money for years.Launching in new cities wasn’t cheap: drivers had to be enticed, marketing campaigns had to be executed, new servers had to be spun up, and expensive lawyers had to interpret local rules and regs — whatever their advice, Uber’s strategy seemed to be “launch first, answer questions...

Darick Benson, 20, was charged with aggravated vehicular hijacking following an armed carjacking on Saturday, Aug. 12, 2023. A quick-thinking concealed carry holder in Chicago flipped the script during an attempted carjacking earlier this month, evading serious injury while shooting the carjacker, who was already on probation for a previous carjacking, and his alleged accomplice, according to a report. An adult suspect — later identified as 20-year-old Darick Benson — and a juvenile female both suffered a gunshot injury after they unsuccessfully attempted to rob a rideshare driver, who was not identified, according to CWB Chicago. According to court documents,...

A 26-year-old rideshare driver with a concealed carry permit shot two alleged robbers in Chicago Saturday just after 1:00 a.m. The driver had just dropped off a passenger when a man and woman approached, at least one of whom was armed, CBS News reported. The couple allegedly took the driver’s cell phone, then “fired shots” as they attempted to flee the scene. The rideshare driver pulled his own gun and returned fire, “striking the 20-year-old man in the leg and grazing the 18-year-old woman in the arm.” ABC 7 noted that the woman’s wound was just a graze and she...

If you’re a regular reader here at Bearing Arms, you’ve seen or heard me talk about Uber and Lyft’s driver (and passenger) disarmament policies that force contracted drivers to go unarmed in order to stay in the good graces of the companies. Even when drivers have been forced to use their gun in self-defense, they’ve been quickly cut loose from Uber and Lyft because they dared to have their legally-carried firearm with them while they’re doing a dangerous job. Given the large number of carjackings, murders, and other targeted crimes against rideshare drivers, I find it unconscionable that these companies...

On November 3rd, California voters will decide whether Proposition 22, a ballot initiative that would exempt ride sharing apps and food delivery companies from the draconian labor regulations of AB.5, should become state law. Proposition 22 would allow ride share apps like Uber, as well as food delivery companies like DoorDash and Grubhub, to continue to classify its workers as independent contractors, but mandate a minimum level of compensation and the provision of certain benefits for individuals who work a set number of hours. Proposition 22 would also mandate advanced training and protections for drivers. Most importantly, the proposition on...

In a triumphant moment, New York City announced it would include ridesharing services in its metro budget. Realizing that many residents live in areas with inadequate late night and early morning metro services, the Metro Transportation Authority plans to subsidize ridesharing as early as June to help bridge the gap between people’s bus stop and home. While this is a good start, if cities wanted to improve their public transit, they would replace their bus systems in favor of ridesharing.Earlier this month, New York City Chief Innovation Officer, Mark Dowd, announced the city is looking to partner with transportation network...

Editor's Note: This article was co-authored by Danni Ondraskova and Justin Haskins. Many people are already familiar with Uber, the highly lauded and criticized San Francisco-based company that offers its customers a car-share service through an eponymous app. Uber touts its service as a legitimate alternative to city taxis and other transportation services. Its website promises consumers the chance to "share experiences, woo the moment, and create an escape." Uber's opponents—usually controlled-obsessed regulatory zealots or competing taxi companies—question the safety of Uber's business model and point to alleged fluctuations in its service quality as signals of the service's inherent unreliability,...

Rideshare company Uber Technologies may be headed for a world of hurt. A California judge has ruled that a class action complaint against the rideshare company will be heard by a jury, in order to decide if Uber drivers shall be classified as employees or independent contractors.Should the jury decide that drivers are, in fact, employees, it will cost the rideshare company untold sums due to its workforce. It could be on the hook for overtime; unpaid tips; health, life, and disability insurance; Social Security and Medicare; unemployment and worker’s comp insurance; paid leave, vacation pay, and sick days; and...

Seattle Monday became the first city in the country to limit drivers for Lyft, uberX and Sidecar, in what will eventually be an overhaul of all of the city’s ride-service rules. The regulations, approved unanimously by the City Council, will limit each company to 150 drivers on the road at the same time, collectively capping them at 450.