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What Happened at the Uber Driver Advisory Forum

The other week, Uber hosted the first Driver Advisory Forum. This forum brought in diverse drivers from around the United States and was an opportunity for drivers to share their feedback and contribute to a better dialogue between Uber’s leadership and drivers. Today, senior RSG contributor Christian Perea covers the Forum and how you might be able to get involved in the future.

Last week, Uber flew 35 drivers out to their headquarters in San Francisco to participate in their first ever Driver Advisory Forum. Drivers from all over the US spent the day meeting with Uber executives ranging from the Chief Operations Officer to the new(ish) CEO Dara Khosrowshahi. This forum was all in the name of providing feedback and creating a better dialogue between Uber’s leadership and those of us who make the company run where the rubber meets the road.

Drive with Uber 1

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Why the Uber Data Leak is Bad, and What You Can Do About It

Passengers and drivers alike recently found out that Uber paid hackers $100,000 to cover up a data breach that compromised the driver and rider accounts of at least 57 million people. We also found out that Uber kept this information secret for more than a year. So how bad is this data breach and what should you do about it? Today, senior RSG contributor Will Preston covers the breach, how it affects drivers and riders, and what you should do today to protect yourself.

Depending on where you read about the Uber data leak, combined with what you already think about Uber’s ethics, you may be anywhere from mildly concerned to completely outraged. As a person who has made most of his living protecting other people’s data, I am much closer to the latter than the former. I will explain why I am so outraged, and give some advice on what to do.

Note: You can read Uber’s official statement about the hacking incident here.

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How to Handle Service Dog Fraud

Harry here.  Uber isn’t legally allowed to provide training to its drivers but one issue that can actually get you deactivated as a driver is refusing a ride for a passenger with a service animal.  Today, RSG guest poster Michael Goodman recounts his experience with service animals.  If you’re an RSG reader with an idea for a great guest post, e-mail me and pitch me on a topic!

It’s important to say this right up front: I love animals and I have tremendous respect for the work performed by service dogs to assist people with disabilities. I’ve never had a problem with carrying a service animal in my car and I never will, as long as they don’t start training elephants! The right of service dogs to ride in Ubers and go places that pets cannot go is protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

But service dog fraud, where riders are passing off their pets as service dogs, seems to be a growing problem for Uber drivers, and if you haven’t faced this already, you will probably face it soon. How you respond to this may determine whether your driver account will remain open or not.

A growing issue for drivers is service dog fraud, but how can you recognize the fraud, what does the law say, and what does Uber actually do about this?

 

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Are Rideshare Drivers Actually Racist?

Editor’s Note: We’ll be hosting our second monthly YouTube Live Q&A session TODAY at 5 pm PT so please join us .  You can subscribe to the YouTube channel here to be notified when we go live OR click here to get an e-mail reminder before the event!

When last week’s big study came out that said rideshare drivers were discriminating against passengers who are minorities, there were a lot of headlines about racist and sexist Uber drivers.  But I’ve never met a single driver who told me that they discriminate based on a passenger’s gender, sexual orientation or even race.  So I started wondering: where is the disconnect?

Now, it is possible all those “racist” drivers just don’t want to admit they’re racist, but I think there’s a lot more to it than that.  In fact, Uber and Lyft’s own policies could be a major contributing factor to the discrimination found in the study by the Stanford and MIT researchers.

A recent study dropped a bombshell: rideshare drivers might secretly be racist. But is that the real case, or is there more to this story?

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An Airport Guide For Uber and Lyft Drivers

Harry here.  After the party hours, airport runs can be some of the most lucrative for drivers.  Today, RSG contributor Bill Tesauro breaks down how and where to find these rides AND shares a handy spreadsheet that lists the rules and regulations for all the top airports in the country.

Ask an Uber driver where the easiest money is, and a lot of them will say “at the airports.”  Airport runs are predictable.  Business travelers depart early in the week on Monday afternoons or Tuesday morning and arrive home Thursday afternoons or Friday mornings like clockwork.  And the best part for some is that you don’t have to deal with drunks.

From the rider perspective, getting an Uber or Lyft from the airport is more convenient than ever!  The plane lands, you flip off airplane mode, grab overhead bin bags, exit to the luggage carousel, and order an Uber while waiting.

For drivers looking beyond our hands on the wheel at 10 & 2, it’s a bit more complicated though.  Stories abound of being stopped, detained, and fined, then cars impounded due to local airport servicing being off limits unbeknownst to drivers of course.  LAX / ATL / DTW / EWR / ORD have all experienced their fair share of growing pains related to legislative battles with Uber & Lyft and now we have a confusing web of policies that vary by city and airport.

So let’s delve into a few airport rules and regulations that’ll keep you on the right side of the law.

Want to drive the airport circuit? Here's an airport guide on these rides plus a handy spreadsheet that lists the rules and regulations for top airports.

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