Uber launches parking, which will eventually be used by its robotaxis. The DOJ sues Lyft for $53 million over disability discrimination. A new airport fee squeezes San Diego’s Uber Black drivers. A Reuters columnist says the robotaxi wars end with Alphabet buying Uber. A breach at an Uber vendor exposes thousands of driver’s licenses. We break it all down for you.
Uber Launches Parking in 15 Cities, With Robotaxis in Mind
SOURCE – TechCrunch
Uber on Monday launched a service that lets customers reserve and pay for parking inside its app, about nine months after it acquired parking app SpotHero. For now, the service is aimed at commuters driving their own cars, but Uber says the same spots could later serve as staging and waiting areas for its robotaxi partners.
- The SpotHero deal gives Uber a network of 13,000 garages, lots, and valet services across more than 400 cities. Parking starts in 15 U.S. cities, including Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, and San Francisco.
- Uber says staging robotaxis in those spots could cut congestion and deadheading, the miles a vehicle travels without a paying passenger on board.
- It is one more piece of Uber’s push to keep customers inside its app and expand into the world of robotaxis. Uber One will give 10% back in credits on eligible parking reservations.
DOJ Sues Lyft Over Alleged Discrimination Against Riders With Disabilities
SOURCE – ABC News
The Department of Justice sued Lyft in federal court in Northern California on Monday, accusing the company of violating the Americans with Disabilities Act by repeatedly denying rides to passengers who travel with service animals or use wheelchairs and other mobility devices. The government is seeking $53 million in damages, plus a civil penalty.
- The suit says “hundreds, likely thousands” of riders were denied service, and that Lyft receives thousands of discrimination complaints a year but does not adequately train or monitor its drivers.
- One rider, who is legally blind, says a driver refused his guide dog at the airport and drove away without canceling the ride. According to the suit, Lyft followed up only after he posted about it on social media, then gave him a $10 credit.
- Lyft disputes the allegations. It says drivers are required to accommodate service animals and foldable mobility devices, and that those who refuse face consequences up to permanent deactivation. The DOJ also wants a court order requiring ADA training for Lyft’s staff and drivers.
New $5 Airport Trip Fee Squeezes San Diego’s Uber Black and Lyft Black Drivers
SOURCE – FOX 5 San Diego
San Diego International Airport has replaced the $220 annual vehicle fee for charter operators, including Uber Black and Lyft Black drivers, with a $5 charge on every pickup and drop-off. The change took effect in October, and the first monthly invoices went out in the first week of November.
- Driver Aws Hamzah says he was invoiced more than $1,000 for October alone, on top of nearly $5,000 in expenses he had already paid. He says he rejected roughly 400 airport rides last month because they weren’t worth it, and took home less than $200 after 76 hours online.
- The Airport Authority says the change puts charter operators on the same per-trip billing that standard Ubers and taxis have paid since July. Application fees already paid will be credited toward the trip fees owed.
- Uber plans to pass this cost along to passengers. Uber says a configuration error affected collection of the $5 fee, and that it is correcting it so the fee is collected from riders and remitted to drivers or fleets. It also plans to reimburse them for affected trips. Lyft did not respond in time for the report.
Columnist: The Robotaxi Wars End With Alphabet Buying Uber
SOURCE – Reuters
A Reuters Breakingviews column argues that Uber and Waymo’s uneasy partnership is headed for a merger, with Alphabet buying Uber. The columnist says Uber controls roughly three-quarters of the U.S. ride-sharing market and owns the customer relationship, while Waymo has the technology and more than 4,000 robotaxis, about 77% of the country’s autonomous vehicles by Bernstein’s estimate.
- In the current view, the partnership is fraying. Waymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana called the arrangement “a bit of a crapshoot” for riders and ended the exclusivity agreement with Uber in Austin and Atlanta. The Phoenix pilot had already been wound down.
- Uber is hedging with agreements and investments involving about 30 AV-related firms. It plans to have 2,000 driverless vehicles on its platform by the end of 2027 and tens of thousands by 2028.
- Bernstein estimates it would take up to 350,000 driverless cars to meet current rideshare demand, and a sensor-loaded Waymo Jaguar can cost more than $100,000.
Uber Data Breach Exposes Driver’s License Info of Thousands
SOURCE – ClaimDepot
Uber has disclosed a data breach that exposed driver’s license information. On October 7, an attacker got hold of login credentials belonging to one of Uber’s service providers and used them to access Uber data. The provider detected the activity on October 9, and Uber began notifying affected people on November 10.
- State filings so far count 3,430 affected residents in South Carolina, 2,567 in Massachusetts, and 1,873 in Rhode Island. The breach was also reported to California’s attorney general.
- Uber is offering free credit monitoring and fraud assistance through Cyberscout, a TransUnion company.
QUICK HITS
- Olo’s CEO talks about how he wants to take on Uber and DoorDash with its own delivery service. – Business Insider
- Amazon is now partnering with Uber Eats, instead of Grubhub. – TechCrunch
- A Central Florida woman says she’s a victim of identity theft because the IRS claims she owes thousands in taxes on 2021 income from a DoorDash job in Utah, even though she worked only for SpaceX in Florida. – Yahoo News
- For more coverage of the autonomous-vehicle industry, subscribe to The Driverless Digest, Harry’s newsletter and podcast covering robotaxis and AVs.
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