Latest Sharing Economy Headlines
All the headlines from our Sharing Economy Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Uber Facing Roadblocks, Controversies in U.S. and Abroad
Dec 10 2014 // Uber Technologies Inc. has hit an increasing pileup of regulatory and legal hurdles this week, with its mobile application challenged from India to California. The car-booking app yesterday was sued by the district...
Unlicensed Uber Drivers Ticketed by Plainclothes Officers in Missouri Town
Dec 9 2014 // Plainclothes Columbia, Mo., police officers have started issuing tickets to drivers with Internet ridesharing company Uber. City staff and Uber had been negotiating regulations that would have licensed rideshare drivers...
Uber Driver Who Struck and Killed Girl in San Francisco Crosswalk Charged
Dec 9 2014 // A driver for Uber Technologies Inc. whose car struck and killed a six-year-old girl crossing a San Francisco street last New Year’s eve was charged with misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter, a spokesman for the...
Uber Launches Sans Oregon City’s Approval
Dec 8 2014 // The ridesharing app Uber has launched in Portland, Ore. without city approval. The app began working Friday at 5 p.m., and drivers were able to immediately begin offering rides, regional manager Brooke Stever...
Uber Pays Fine Imposed on South Carolina Driver
Dec 8 2014 // Editor’s Note: This is a corrected version of this story. In a story Dec. 6 about a driver for the Internet ride-sharing company Uber being fined, The Associated Press reported erroneously that the driver had been...
James River Not Afraid to Take on Uber, Riskier Assets
Dec 8 2014 // The insurer that ridesharing service Uber Technologies Inc. uses to protect drivers and passengers is going public, promoting how it’s more willing than competitors to invest in junk-rated loans. James River Group...
Utah Lawmaker Working on Ridesharing Regulations
Dec 1 2014 // A Utah lawmaker is working on a bill proposing statewide regulations for ridesharing companies like Uber and Lyft. Some say the smartphone app-based companies should follow the same rules as taxi drivers, including...
Rideshare Companies Risk Defying Arizona Law
Dec 1 2014 // Ridesharing companies such as Uber are riding high in Arizona at the risk of defying state law, the Arizona Capitol Times reported. Companies such as Uber and Lyft have only revved up operations since Gov. Jan Brewer...
Erie Insurance Introduces Auto Rideshare Cover in Indiana, Illinois
Dec 1 2014 // Erie Insurance announced it has launched auto insurance coverage to protect drivers who use ridesharing services like Uber and Lyft in two Midwestern states. Erie’s new coverage, currently available in Indiana and...
Ride, Home-Sharing Regulation Debate Reaches North Carolina
Dec 1 2014 // North Carolina lawmakers heard arguments recently for and against increasing regulation of digital services that allow people to sell car rides through a smartphone app or rent out rooms to travelers. Car services such as...
Uber Cannot Operate in Nevada Pending Regulator Case
Nov 26 2014 // Uber Technologies Inc. was blocked from operating in Nevada by a judge in Reno after regulators succeeded in getting the case taken from a judge in Las Vegas who had refused the halt the mobile car-booking service. Nevada...
Home-Sharing Service Airbnb Offers $1M Host Liability Policy
Nov 21 2014 // The fast-growing online residential space sharing service Airbnb has added a $1 million liability insurance policy that protects those, including landlords and homeowners associations, facing lawsuits related to the...
Oregon City fines Uber company For Failure to Get License
Nov 21 2014 // The city of Eugene, Ore. has fined the ridesharing company Uber $2,000 for failing to get a city license, and a city official says the fine could be repeated daily. But the Eugene Register-Guard reported that whether Uber...
North Carolina Lawmakers Hear Pros, Cons of Uber, Lyft, Airbnb
Nov 20 2014 // North Carolina lawmakers heard arguments this week for and against increasing regulation of digital services that allow people to sell car rides through a smartphone app or rent out rooms to travelers. Car services such as...
Erie Insurance Introduces Auto Rideshare Cover in Indiana, Illinois
Nov 19 2014 // Erie Insurance has launched auto insurance coverage to protect drivers who use ridesharing services like Uber and Lyft in two Midwestern states, eliminating confusion for ridesharing drivers over what’s covered and...
Council Says Ridesharing Firms May Operate at Houston Airports
Nov 14 2014 // The Houston City Council has approved allowing ridesharing companies such as Lyft and Uber to operate at airports. Council members adopted rules that such vehicles would need city and airport-specific permits. The Houston...
Vacation Rental Firm Sues San Francisco Over Airbnb Advantage
Nov 7 2014 // A vacation-home rental website has sued San Francisco, claiming a new law making it legal for residents to rent out their homes online for short periods unfairly gives rivals such as Airbnb an advantage. The lawsuit filed...
Ridesharing Rivalry: Lyft Sues Uber Claiming Documents Lifted
Nov 6 2014 // Lyft Inc. escalated the battle to crack the taxi and limousine market overseas with a lawsuit accusing a former executive of defecting to Uber Technologies Inc. with proprietary documents about Lyft’s international...
Lyft Rideshare Passenger Dies in California Crash
Nov 4 2014 // A spokeswoman for rideshare service Lyft says one of its drivers was involved in a multi-car crash in Northern California that left a man dead. California Highway Patrol officials said the driver was giving a ride to two...
Oregon City Threatens to Fine Uber
Oct 31 2014 // The city of Eugene, Ore. has ordered the Uber ridesharing company to cease operations or be fined. The Register-Guard reported Uber has refused to apply for a taxi license since its drivers began operating in Eugene last...
