Latest Sharing Economy Headlines
All the headlines from our Sharing Economy Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Ridesharing Workers of Gig Economy: What Census Numbers Show
Aug 30 2018 // How big is the gig economy? The answer depends on how one defines “gig economy.” Because there is no broadly accepted definition and no straightforward way to classify workers or jobs as “gig” or...
China’s Largest Ride-Hailing Firm Didi Suspends Service After 2nd Passenger Killing
Aug 30 2018 // China’s largest ride-hailing company Didi Chuxing has suspended its carpooling service after a passenger was killed, and is likely to face tighter oversight that will squeeze driver numbers and extend customer...
Airbnb Sues New York City to Block User-Data Bill Over Privacy
Aug 27 2018 // Home-rental providers Airbnb Inc. and HomeAway are suing New York City over a recently passed law that allows the collection of data on the websites’ hosts, claiming the ordinance violates users’ constitutional...
Workers Win $1.9 Million Sexual Harassment Settlement with Uber
Aug 22 2018 // The cost of Uber Technologies Inc.’s sexual harassment scandal is now itemized: 56 current and former employees who filed claims stand to collect an average of $33,928.57. In addition, almost 500 female and minority...
Study Says Uber Had No Impact on Some Crash Rates in Virginia
Aug 21 2018 // A recent study finds no evidence that ride-hailing app Uber reduced the number of serious car wrecks in Virginia. The research also found no change in the likelihood that a fatal crash involved alcohol. The College of...
Hawaii to Allow Rideshare Operators at Honolulu Airport
Aug 17 2018 // Hawaii will allow ridesharing services to operate at the Honolulu airport on a permanent basis after changes were approved to administration rules. Uber and Lyft, which the state refers to as transportation network...
Tighter Regulations in NYC Could Take Bite Out of Airbnb Profits
Aug 17 2018 // Airbnb faces tightening regulations in New York City that could take a big bite out of its profits, and on Wednesday the short-term rental company offered a counter-measure designed to appease hostile politicians: a $10...
Why Not Just Retrain Pedestrians to Make Self-Driving Vehicles Safer?
Aug 17 2018 // You’re crossing the street wrong. That is essentially the argument some self-driving car boosters have fallen back on in the months after the first pedestrian death attributed to an autonomous vehicle and amid...
NYC Mayor Signs Bill Capping New Ride-Hail Licenses
Aug 16 2018 // New York City, the largest American market for Uber, has become the first U.S. city to regulate the growth of app-based rides. Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasio on Tuesday signed a bill placing a temporary cap on new...
New York City Votes to Cap Uber, Lyft Vehicle Licenses
Aug 9 2018 // The New York City Council on Wednesday agreed to cap the number of licenses for ride-hailing services such as Uber for one year, dealing a blow to the companies that have relied on the largest U.S. metro area for a major...
Uber Revs Up Freight Business After Closing Self-Driving Truck Unit
Aug 9 2018 // Uber Technologies Inc. is creating a standalone business out of its long-haul trucking business, with plans to double its investment in the unit to drive growth ahead of a much-anticipated initial public offering. Uber...
Gig Firms Want California to Override Court Ruling
Aug 8 2018 // Leading gig economy companies including Uber and Lyft are quietly lobbying California’s top Democrats to override or undermine a court ruling that could make many of their contract workers into employees. In April,...
Declarations
Aug 6 2018 // Campus Guns “College campuses as gun-free zones present an environment where murderers, rapists and other criminals may commit crimes without fear of being harmed by their victims.” — An NRA lobbyist who...
Massachusetts Lawmakers Approve Rental, Voter, Climate Bills as Deadline Looms
Aug 1 2018 // The Massachusetts Legislature gave final approval Monday to a bill that would tax and regulate short-term rentals, including those offered by Airbnb and other online platforms. After weeks of negotiations, House and Senate...
Update: Chubb Partners with Uber to Cover South African Drivers
Aug 1 2018 // Uber Technologies Inc. is partnering with insurance company Chubb Ltd. to cover its South African drivers in case of death or injury as violent attacks plague the country’s cities. The new deal will pay out a lump...
Uber Halts Driverless Truck Manufacturing to Focus on Cars
Jul 31 2018 // Uber will stop developing self-driving trucks that have been hauling cargo on U.S. highways, the ride-hailing company said on Monday, seeking to focus its autonomous-vehicle technology solely on cars. Through its...
City Council Aims to Make New York First U.S. City to Cap Uber, Others
Jul 30 2018 // New York City is moving toward becoming the first major U.S. municipality to cap ride-sharing services, sparking a tsunami of protest on Friday from Uber and others, which warned that those living in far-flung...
Pittsburgh Sees Hands-On Restart of Uber’s Self-Driving Cars
Jul 27 2018 // Uber has taken the first step toward relaunching its self-driving cars on Pittsburgh-area streets four months after a fatal accident involving one of the cars in Arizona. A spokeswoman said the company put a handful of...
Lyft Faces Patent Suit by Professor Over Ridesharing Model
Jul 25 2018 // A retired Georgia Institute of Technology engineering professor described as a “pioneer” in developing the idea of ride sharing sued Lyft Inc., claiming it infringed his patent for technology underlying the...
Lyft Will Beef Up Background Checks Following California Driver Arrest
Jul 20 2018 // Ridesharing company Lyft said Wednesday that it’s beefing up its background checks after a driver arrested for rape was found to be in the United States illegally. The company’s “enhanced detection...
