Latest Sharing Economy Headlines

All the headlines from our Sharing Economy Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Why Sharing Economy Firms Just Might Be the Best Insurance Customers

May 5 2021 // Imagine insurance customers who actually enjoy meeting with their insurance broker. Customers who see insurance not as a nuisance mandate but as an integral part of their own and their customers’ success. Insurance...

Uber, Lyft, Other Gig Firms Worried About U.S. Push to Reclassify Workers as Employees

Apr 30 2021 // Under growing threat by a new U.S. administration insistent on reclassifying ride-hail and food delivery workers as employees with full benefits, gig economy companies including Uber, Lyft, Doordash and Instacart are...

Maine Lawsuit Over Uber Driver’s Refusal of Guide Dog Can Go On

Apr 9 2021 // A judge in Maine has ruled that a woman who has impaired vision can go ahead with a claim against Uber, which she has said discriminated against her by refusing to allow her guide dog into a vehicle. The lawsuit stretches...

Judge Rejects Uber Denial of Liability in Student’s Death on Freeway

Apr 5 2021 // Uber Technologies Inc. lost the first round in a lawsuit filed by the relatives of a university student who was run over and killed on a San Diego freeway after one of the company’s drivers allegedly ordered her out...

Former California Uber Driver Convicted of Raping Passengers

Mar 29 2021 // A former Uber driver in Central California was found guilty of sexually assaulting and stealing from five passengers. Jurors took less than three hours to convict Alfonso Alarcon Nunez of 13 felonies, including three...

Judge Lets Massachusetts Claims Over Uber, Lyft Driver Classification Proceed

Mar 26 2021 // A Massachusetts judge on Thursday denied a bid to dismiss a lawsuit by the state’s attorney general challenging Uber’s and Lyft’s classification of drivers as independent contractors instead of employees...

Uber Reclassifies 70,000 UK Drivers as Workers – Providing Minimum Wage, Benefits

Mar 17 2021 // Uber Technologies Inc. will reclassify all 70,000 of its UK drivers as workers, entitling them to the minimum wage, vacation pay and other benefits after a landmark ruling from the Supreme Court last month. The...

Ride-Hailing Firms Uber, Lyft to Share Background Data on Deactivated Drivers

Mar 16 2021 // Uber Technologies Inc. and Lyft Inc. have created a program to share information about drivers and delivery people deactivated from their platforms for the most serious offenses, furthering a safety push by ride-hailing...

Uber’s UK Court Loss Likely to Trigger More Complaints from Gig Workers Across Europe

Feb 22 2021 // Uber Technologies Inc.’s defeat in a UK legal battle over the way it treats its drivers is set to trigger a wave of complaints from workers across the region. Britain’s Supreme Court ruled Friday that Uber must...

UK Court Rules Uber Drivers Should Be Classed as Workers, in Blow to Business Model

Feb 19 2021 // LONDON – A group of Uber drivers are entitled to worker rights such as the minimum wage, Britain’s Supreme Court ruled on Friday in a blow to the ride-hailing service that has ramifications for millions of others...

Uber Urges EU to Recognize Gig Business Model as UK Court Is Set to Rule

Feb 17 2021 // Uber on Monday called on EU regulators to recognize the value of independent contracts in job creation as they consider new rules to protect gig economy workers. The company has been criticized for classifying its drivers...

UK Supreme Court to Rule This Week on Workers’ Rights for Uber Drivers

Feb 15 2021 // LONDON — Britain’s Supreme Court will announce a decision on Feb. 19 in a case regarding workers’ rights at taxi app Uber that could have ramifications for millions of others earning a living in the gig...

California Supreme Court Rejects Rideshare Vote Lawsuit

Feb 5 2021 // The California Supreme Court rejected a lawsuit that sought to overturn a ballot measure that makes app-based ride-hailing and delivery drivers independent contractors instead of employees eligible for benefits and job...

Uber Vet Invests $50M in Metromile as Insurer Readies Reverse Merger to Become Public

Feb 2 2021 // Auto insurer Metromile has attracted $50 million in new investment from a former Uber executive even as it has obtained regulatory approval to formalize a reverse merger deal that will make it a publicly-traded...

Buckle Expands Rideshare Auto Insurance Into Tennessee

Feb 1 2021 // Buckle, a tech-enabled financial services company, has expanded its rideshare-only auto insurance into Tennessee. Last year, the company launched the insurance offering that provides rideshare and transportation network...

New York Court: Uber Drivers Are Employees Eligible for Unemployment Insurance

Jan 25 2021 // The New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Third Judicial Department held at the end of December that Uber drivers can be considered employees eligible for benefits such as unemployment insurance. The finding upheld...

Pardon for Ex-Google Exec Who Took Self-Driving Car Secrets to Uber

Jan 22 2021 // A long-running Silicon Valley soap opera took an unexpected twist on Wednesday after outgoing President Donald Trump pardoned a former Google engineer for stealing self-driving car secrets shortly before joining...

Some Rideshare Drivers Sue Over California Ballot Measure

Jan 14 2021 // Drivers for app-based ride-hailing and delivery services filed a lawsuit Tuesday to overturn a California ballot initiative that makes them independent contractors instead of employees eligible for benefits and job...

Uber Appealing $59M Fine in California Over Sex Assault Data Request

Jan 14 2021 // Uber Technologies Inc. on Wednesday appealed a $59 million fine by a California regulator in a dispute over whether the company should share detailed information on sexual assault and harassment claims reported on its...

Marsh Launches UK & Ireland Sharing Economy & Mobility (SE&M) Industry Group

Jan 6 2021 // Marsh, the insurance broker and risk adviser, has launched a dedicated Sharing Economy & Mobility (SE&M) industry group in the UK & Ireland. Led by Sam Tiltman, the group brings together over 25 sector...