Latest Sharing Economy Headlines
All the headlines from our Sharing Economy Topic Page, ordered by recency.
San Francisco Voters Reject Anti-Airbnb Measure, Re-Elect Mayor
Nov 5 2015 // San Francisco voters rejected a ballot measure to limit short-term rentals to 75 days a year and require hosting companies such as Airbnb to yank listings that violate the limit. Voters also re-elected Mayor Ed Lee while...
Uber Driver Sues Taco Bell Brand Manager Videoed in California Slapping Assault
Nov 5 2015 // An Uber driver is suing a California man accused of slapping and hitting the driver in an attack that was recorded on video. KABC-TV in Los Angeles reported Edward Caban filed a lawsuit earlier this week in Orange County...
Taco Bell Corp. Manager Suspect in California Uber Driver Slapping Assault
Nov 4 2015 // Police say a mid-level manager for Taco Bell Corp. repeatedly slapped an Uber driver in the face after being told to get out of the car because he was too drunk to give directions. The incident Friday was captured on dash...
New York’s Taxi Industry Says Uber Expansion Would Kill Existing Jobs
Nov 3 2015 // New York’s taxi industry says Uber’s proposal to expand outside of the New York City area threatens the jobs of dispatchers and others who work behind the scenes for cab companies around the state. The...
Florida DMV Requests Dismissal of Taxi Companies’ Rideshare Complaint
Nov 2 2015 // In a move that is sure to further frustrate Florida taxicab companies, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FDHSMV) has asked a Leon County, Florida, judge to dismiss a complaint requiring the state...
Lyft Becomes First to Offer Ridesharing at Las Vegas Airport
Oct 28 2015 // Lyft is the first ridesharing company to offer trips to travelers at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas. Lyft said it began offering airport rides Monday morning. The company’s smartphone app connects...
Airbnb Under Siege From Hostile Ballot Measure in San Francisco
Oct 26 2015 // Travelers worldwide may love using Airbnb to book vacation stays, but the company that revolutionized home-sharing faces a hostile ballot measure in the city where it was founded. Proposition F on the Nov. 3 San Francisco...
N.Y. Gov. Cuomo Calls for Statewide Licensing System for Uber, Lyft
Oct 23 2015 // New York’s governor says he’s in favor of a statewide licensing system for Uber and Lyft as the two app-based car services look to expand throughout the state. Gov. Andrew Cuomo told reporters Wednesday that a...
Uber Pushing to Expand Throughout New York State
Oct 22 2015 // Uber wants to expand throughout New York state into cities like Buffalo, Albany, Syracuse and Rochester where the ride-hailing service is now prohibited from operating. A company executive on Tuesday called on state...
Nevada Will Add 7 Employees to Oversee Rideshare Companies
Oct 22 2015 // The Nevada agency that regulates taxis is preparing to ramp up its staffing now that Uber and Lyft are on the road. Lawmakers are set to review a Nevada Transportation Authority request on Wednesday to add seven new...
USAA to Offer Rideshare ‘Gap Protection’ Coverage in Massachusetts
Oct 20 2015 // Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker and the Division of Insurance announced that the United Services Automobile Association (USAA) has been approved to offer additional “gap protection” coverage to its...
Portland Cyclist Finds Insurance Issues Complicated in ‘Gig Economy’
Oct 19 2015 // Lucas Root says he doesn’t remember seeing the door that opened up in front of his bike, knocking him to the pavement and breaking out three teeth. But when he learned the driver was working for Uber, the app-based...
California Commissioner OKs Metlife Ridesharing Insurance for Lyft Drivers
Oct 19 2015 // Lyft drivers have a new ridesharing insurance option covering all three ridesharing periods. Those changes came to light earlier this month with the introduction of a new product, approved by Insurance Commissioner Dave...
Unlike Uber, On-Demand Office Service Cleans Up with Employees
Oct 16 2015 // It’s scorching on the streets of Midtown Manhattan as Afonso Oliveira strides around the lunch-break crowds, unbent beneath his 45-pound, $350 industrial backpack. He is carrying everything that might be needed to...
California Commissioner OKs Metlife Ridesharing Insurance for Lyft Drivers
Oct 12 2015 // Lyft drivers have a new ridesharing insurance option covering all three ridesharing periods and offering liability coverage with the option to add additional coverages. Those changes came to light on Monday with the...
GOP Candidate Rubio Criticizes Gov’t Regulation of On-Demand Economy
Oct 12 2015 // Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio vowed to cap the number of regulations government can impose on businesses, particularly “on-demand” startups like Uber and Airbnb that he considers models for a...
Lyft to Open Customer Experience Operations in Nashville
Oct 7 2015 // A San Francisco-based rideshare service is investing more than $5 million to locate its new operations in Nashville and create 380 jobs in Davidson County. Gov. Bill Haslam and Economic and Community Development...
Taxi Owners’ Credit Union, Hurt by Uber, Is Seized by Regulator
Oct 5 2015 // The New York City-based Montauk Credit Union, a large provider of loans to taxi medallion owners, was seized on Sept. 18 by New York State’s top financial regulator. The New York State Department of Financial...
London to Curb Uber with Driver Tests, Stricter Insurance Requirements
Sep 30 2015 // Uber Technologies Inc. faces curbs on its expansion in the U.K. after London Mayor Boris Johnson’s transport regulator proposed that drivers of private-hire minicabs should face English-language and navigational...
Uber, Lyft Drivers Already Racking up Citations at Las Vegas Airport
Sep 23 2015 // Drivers with Uber and Lyft are already racking up citations after a week of doing business in Las Vegas. McCarran International Airport spokesman Chris Jones confirmed authorities cited 87 drivers as of last week for not...
