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Are Uber and Lyft Drivers Allowed To Carry Non-Lethal Weapons?

Over the weekend, a Portland Lyft driver was banned from the platform after she pulled out a stun gun to defend herself when her passengers refused to exit the vehicle.  I always knew that Uber and Lyft had policies against drivers carrying firearms but I was surprised to find out that Lyft drivers aren’t allowed to carry non-lethal weapons like pepper spray or stun guns either.

And in a strange twist, Uber’s policy actually allows drivers to carry non-lethal weapons – but does that mean you should?

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Are Uber and Lyft drivers allowed to carry weapons in their cars? While state laws differ, Uber and Lyft's policies are clear, but do you agree with them?

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What Should Drivers Do When Shit Hits the Fan?

Harry here.  Most rides go off without a hitch, but with millions of trips per day, there are bound to be some unfortunate incidents.  Today, RSG contributor John Ince recaps this week’s viral video and shares his tips on what to do if/when the situation gets out of hand AND how to avoid it in the first place.

A video went viral this week in which a passenger, who apparently requested a ride to the emergency room at a local hospital, refused to get out of the car, despite the fact that the app indicated that they had arrived at their destination.  The female passenger wanted the male driver to take her to the entrance of the emergency room and he lost his cool in the face of her repeated insistence that he take her to what she considered her final destination.  An altercation ensued and things escalated quickly as she recorded a video of the incident.

Drivers and most everyone else on message boards and Facebook sided with the driver who laced the passenger with such choice lines as “Get out of my f—ing car” and “I’m looking at a f—ing moron”.  But if history is any guide here, the driver will likely be deactivated pending an investigation by Uber.  In any event, the driver’s afternoon was ruined.

We’ve all faced similar situations though, and they always result in needless hours of lost sleep and questioning whether this job is really worth all the hassle. Take a look and see what you think (WARNING: Explicit language!)

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What to Make of Uber’s New Driver Tracking Features

Harry here. Getting feedback from Uber on ways to improve driving behavior can be a challenge. But today, RSG senior contributor Christian Perea takes a look at Uber’s new safety report card that they started sending out to drivers this week.  It may feel a little big-brotherish but will it help drivers and make the roads safer?

Uber released a new feature last week that tracks driver behavior and provides them with a daily “Driving Report”.  It’s meant to grade drivers on things like acceleration, braking, and whether or not your cell phone is properly secured.

Uber is gathering the real-time data using your phone’s GPS, accelerometer, and various other instruments in order to provide feedback on how you drive.  This technology has actually been around for a while and is known as “telemetrics”. It’s currently used to monitor limo, cab, bus, and truck drivers all throughout the world.

For Uber drivers though, at the end of each day, you’ll receive a report that looks something like this:

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RSG reader Errma Rovera shared her report for this post.

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Should Rideshare Drivers Be Required To Get Fingerprinted?

Harry here.  We’re no fingerprinting experts, but today with the help of RSG reader Tony (who is) and RSG contributor Christian Perea, we talk all about fingerprinting and whether it should be a requirement for rideshare drivers or not. Uber’s safety checks have been in the news a lot lately and with the latest incident in Kalamazoo (even though the driver did pass a background check), those safety issues have been brought front and center again.

Fingerprinting is a recurring issue for TNC companies throughout the US. Local governments often attempt to adapt their regulatory structure to react to the onslaught of drivers that suddenly appear on their streets sporting Us and ‘staches.

The most recent battleground has been in Austin, where city officials were advocating to have drivers fingerprinted while TNCs such as Uber and Lyft are threatening to leave the market.

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Can Dashcams Prevent Bad Passenger Behavior? (And A Big Giveaway!)

Whether they try to bring open containers into your car, or empty your glovebox onto the sidewalk, there’s no telling how your passengers will behave themselves before, during, or after their ride.

The single best way to protect yourself and your property is by using a dashcam. Don’t have one yet? You might be in luck – enter our giveaway and you could win one of FOUR (4) brand new Falcon F360 dashcams!

Falcon F360 dashcam

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