Latest Sharing Economy Headlines
All the headlines from our Sharing Economy Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Lyft Remains Quite over Returning to New Mexico
Mar 2 2016 // An Albuquerque Republican says she is hopeful Lyft will return to New Mexico after state lawmakers passed a bill regulating similar ride-booking companies. Rep. Monica Youngblood says officials with the San Francisco-based...
Few Rideshare Drivers Have Insurance, But Interest is Growing
Feb 29 2016 // A large portion of rideshare drivers do not have the required insurance – but more are buying it, or seem to be more interested in it. According to a recent survey by the Rideshare Guy, roughly one-in-five rideshare...
Attacks by Michigan Uber Driver Renew Questions About Vetting Processes
Feb 23 2016 // The deaths of six people in Kalamazoo, Michigan, who authorities say were shot by a driver for Uber Technologies Inc., have revived scrutiny over how the ride service vets its drivers, an issue that has plagued it for...
Gig Economy Now 6.5% of U.S. Workforce; Provides Extra Income for 10 Million
Feb 22 2016 // It’s a job market revolution: an estimated 10.3 million Americans earned income through web-based platforms like Uber and Airbnb between 2012 and 2015. That’s more people than reside in the entire state of...
New Mexico Senate OKs Uber, Lyft Operations
Feb 19 2016 // A bill aimed at welcoming and regulating ridesharing companies like Uber and Lyft in New Mexico has been approved by state Senate. The Senate passed the legislation Thursday morning. The legal status of the companies has...
New Mexico Lawmakers Beat Clock to Pass Ridesharing
Feb 19 2016 // The New Mexico Legislature closed out its 2016 session Feb. 18, but not before passing legislation to legalize and regulate ridesharing services like Uber and Lyft. Just hours after the state Senate voted 33-5 to approve...
Amazon Plan Would Expand Its Uber-Like Delivery Service
Feb 18 2016 // Amazon.com Inc is quietly inviting drivers for its new “on-demand” delivery service to handle its standard packages, as the online retailer known for low prices and razor-thin profit margins looks to speed up...
Ridesharing Bill Makes It Through West Virginia House
Feb 17 2016 // West Virginia is a step closer to letting Uber and similar companies offer rides in the state. The bill passed the House of Delegates by a 94-4 margin Monday. It next moves to the Senate. The proposal would apply to Uber,...
Uber to Pay $28M to Settle Claims over Its ‘Safe Rides Fee’
Feb 12 2016 // Uber Technologies Inc. said it will pay $28.5 million to settle claims that a $1 “safe rides fee” charged to riders was misleading because its background checks on drivers aren’t as rigorous as the...
New Mexico Rideshare Bill Fixing Impasse Ok’d in Committee
Feb 8 2016 // A key New Mexico House panel has approved a bill aimed at welcoming and regulating ridesharing companies like Uber and Lyft. The House Judiciary Committee passed the proposal unanimously Thursday. Rep. Monica Youngblood,...
Bill Legalizing Ridesharing Moving through West Virginia House
Feb 5 2016 // What a difference a year makes in the world of ridesharing. Just 18 months ago, only one state (Colorado) had passed comprehensive legislation legalizing and regulating the emerging market of transportation network...
Lyft Makes Deal to Join Uber Serving Nevada Airport
Feb 1 2016 // Ridesharing company Lyft has locked in a deal to operate at Reno-Tahoe International Airport. The Reno-Gazette Journal reported that Lyft obtained an agreement Friday to expand operations and will get to join Uber in doing...
Uber’s Bid to Pause Suit by California Drivers Group Rejected
Jan 29 2016 // Uber Technologies Inc. lost its bid to pause a lawsuit by California drivers demanding to be treated as employees that has grown dramatically in both size and potential liability. The U.S. Court of Appeals in San Francisco...
Lyft’s $12 Million Settlement with Ridesharing Drivers Avoids Employee Classification
Jan 27 2016 // Ride-hailing service Lyft has agreed to settle a proposed class action lawsuit in California by giving drivers additional workplace protections but without classifying them as employees, removing a major threat to its...
West Virginia Governor to Introduce Ridesharing Bill
Jan 26 2016 // Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin is on board with letting Uber offer rides in West Virginia. Tomblin spokeswoman Shayna Varner says the governor plans to introduce a bill letting ridesharing companies, including Uber and Lyft,...
Uber Will Ground Chopper Flights at Utah’s Sundance Film Festival
Jan 26 2016 // A Utah county reached an agreement over the weekend with ridesharing company Uber to stop operating helicopter flights at the Sundance Film Festival. Summit County said helicopter companies agreed to cease operating in...
The Changing Surplus Lines Landscape
Jan 25 2016 // The changing excess and surplus insurance landscape was an oft discussed topic at a recent California meeting, with experts describing the challenges and opportunities going forward. “The business that we have and...
Ridesharing Approved in Another Alabama City
Jan 12 2016 // The City Council in Montgomery, Ala., has voted to allow ridesharing companies such as Uber to begin operating within the city. Multiple media outlets report that city council approved the ordinance Jan. 5. Ridesharing...
The Changing Surplus Lines Landscape in California and Beyond
Jan 11 2016 // The changing excess and surplus insurance landscape was an oft discussed topic on Monday, with experts describing the challenges and opportunities going forward. “The business that we have and the risk we see is...
Entrepreneurs Raise $13 Million to ‘Reinvent’ U.S. P/C Insurance with Peer-to-Peer Insurer Lemonade
Jan 11 2016 // The U.S. property/casualty insurance industry is about to be tested directly by the sharing economy. Two tech entrepreneurs have raised $13 million in initial funding to launch a peer-to-peer online property/casualty...