Latest Sharing Economy Headlines
All the headlines from our Sharing Economy Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Aviva Canada Aims to Offer Ride-Sharing Insurance, with Uber Drivers in Mind
Jan 7 2016 // Aviva Canada aims to offer ride-sharing insurance to Ontario drivers who use their own vehicles to carry paying passengers starting next month, a service that could solve a major headache for ride-hailing company Uber...
Residents in Montana City Tuning up for Uber
Jan 6 2016 // Drivers in Billings, Mont. who are hoping to join Uber are getting their vehicles inspected while waiting for the app-based ride service to get started after the Montana Public Service Commission gave statewide approval...
Uber Gets Green Light in Alabama City
Jan 5 2016 // Ridesharing services have started operating in Birmingham, Ala. Tom Maguire, general manager of Uber in Alabama told Al.com that users would be able to hail rides from their smartphones as of Dec. 29. Ride-hailing services...
Cab Drivers Fight Back as Uber Looks to Expand to Upstate New York
Dec 28 2015 // New York State lawmakers returning to Albany for the usual debates over taxes and spending will also take on an issue even more basic to many New Yorkers — the options for getting home from the train station, the...
Judge Slows Outcome of California Uber Drivers’ Suit
Dec 28 2015 // Uber Technologies Inc. won a ruling that may put off the outcome of a bid by California drivers to be treated as employees in a lawsuit that has grown dramatically in both size and potential liability. U.S. District Judge...
Warm 2016 May Help Put Climate Change on The Map – Even Higher That Is
Dec 23 2015 // If you think you heard a lot about climate change in 2015, wait till next year – or next week depending on how you want to look at it. Next year may be on track to the be warmest year on record, according to the...
Measure in Hawaii Aims to Treat Uber, Lyft Like Taxi Companies
Dec 22 2015 // Two Honolulu council members want ridesharing companies like Uber and Lyft to operate more like taxi companies. The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported that the city bill includes a variety of changes. Among them, the...
Uber Winning Support for Classifying Drivers as Contractors
Dec 21 2015 // State legislators in Ohio and Florida are moving ahead with regulations governing Uber and other ride services that would designate all drivers as independent contractors, bolstering a critical but much-disputed aspect of...
Rideshare Operators Don’t Have to Provide Driver Names in Vegas
Dec 21 2015 // Ridesharing companies in Las Vegas, Nev., such as Uber and Lyft won’t have to hand over lists of their drivers to Clark County commissioners after all. Commissioners voted in early December to approve its business...
Judge Bars Uber from Imposing New Contract on Drivers in Pay Suit
Dec 18 2015 // Uber Technologies Inc. was barred from imposing a new contract on drivers who are suing the company to be treated like employees after a federal judge said the reworded agreement is confusing. U.S. District Judge Edward...
Uber Will Expand Ridesharing Service to Ogden, Utah
Dec 15 2015 // Uber is coming to Ogden, Utah. The ridesharing company already operates in Salt Lake City. The Salt Lake Tribune reported it mentioned the expansion on its Utah-specific Twitter account on Friday. It’s expected to...
Seattle City Council Votes to Allow Uber Drivers to Unionize
Dec 15 2015 // Seattle’s City Council voted unanimously to give collective bargaining rights to drivers-for-hire, such as those who work for rideshare companies Uber Technologies Inc. and Lyft Inc. The bill, proposed by city...
Oregon High Court Says Cab Company Workers Aren’t Independent Contractors
Dec 14 2015 // The Oregon Supreme Court ruled last week that a Portland taxicab company must pay unemployment insurance taxes for certain drivers because they were improperly classified as independent contractors. The case comes amid...
Uber Winning Support in States for Classifying Drivers as Contractors
Dec 11 2015 // State legislators in Ohio and Florida are moving ahead with regulations governing Uber and other ride services that would designate all drivers as independent contractors, bolstering a critical but much-disputed aspect of...
Judge Rules Uber Drivers Can Seek Expense Reimbursement; Uber to Appeal
Dec 10 2015 // Uber Technologies Inc. drivers seeking to be treated as employees won a ruling that could add tens of thousands of them to the case and put hundreds of millions dollars more at stake. The drivers can now seek expense...
Warming to Alternative Classifications for Gig Economy Workers
Dec 10 2015 // Judges and juries around the country are being asked to decide whether Uber and Lyft drivers and other participants in the “gig economy” are really independent contractors or just employees in disguise. But...
Uber Drivers Can Now Pick Up Passengers at Las Vegas Airport
Dec 9 2015 // Travelers to and from Las Vegas can now take an Uber to and from McCarran International Airport as the company has reached an agreement with the airport. The Las Vegas Sun reported that the airport’s Uber ban was...
Entrepreneurs Raise $13 Million to ‘Reinvent’ U.S. P/C Insurance with Peer-to-Peer Insurer
Dec 8 2015 // 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...
New Rules to Govern Taxis, Uber, Lyft Approved by Oregon City
Dec 8 2015 // Ridesharing services such as Uber and Lyft should continue to operating in Portland, Ore. after the City Council approved a new set of rules to govern taxis. The Oregonian reported that the council voted last week to allow...
Mississippi Capitol Moves Closer to Regulating Ridesharing Entities
Dec 8 2015 // Jackson has taken a step toward regulating ride-hailing services such as Uber after the Rules Committee of the Jackson City Council voted to send a suggested ordinance to the full council. The suggested regulations include...