The future is here. It may come as a surprise to some, but self-driving Ubers have already been zipping around in select cities since December of 2016. Uber is very proud of their autonomous vehicle program and Uber officials believe that it will increase road safety, claiming that autonomous driving may decrease traffic deaths by 94% by eliminating human error. If those numbers hold true, traffic fatalities in the U.S. could drop from 40,000 per year to just 2,400; thus, it’s easy to see why Uber is enthused about the possibilities. However, progress was halted after the widely publicized autonomous… Read More
Disney announced that its new Lyft partnership was set to launch on June 18. Disney has jumped into the rideshare industry, to an extent, in that it has partnered with Lyft and launched new service in advance of their opening of the anticipated, ‘Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge’ attraction at both, Walt Disney World® Resort and Disneyland® Resort. Disney executives expect to see a significant rise of vehicles due to the incredible interest in the new attraction, thus the Lyft partnership will offer great convenience and bolster transportation opportunities. Under the guidelines of this new partnership, Lyft will become a bigger… Read More
Despite touting customer safety and protection as its number one priority including a supposedly rigorous screening process for its drivers, Uber has found itself in the spotlight several times in recent years due to Uber drivers accused of assaulting customers, driving recklessly, and causing fatalities. How is this happening, and what needs to be done about it? According to a 2018 audit of Uber carried out by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC), Uber’s required background check and safety screening process fails to account for a number of factors, and this failure is putting people at risk. In addition to… Read More
It’s been nearly a decade since the rise of ridesharing services like Uber and Lyft. Seemingly ubiquitous, Uber and Lyft vehicles can be located and used with the touch of a button nearly anywhere in the nation, offering an on-demand, affordable, and convenient form of transportation, and transforming the way many people get around. But what other impacts have ridesharing services had? According to a new study from University of Chicago and Rice University, the rise of ridesharing services is correlated with a rise in fatal auto accidents nationwide, which calls into question the safety of these services and calls… Read More
On March 18, 2018, the first fatal accident involving a self-driving Uber was captured on video. The death of Elaine Herzberg in Tempe, Arizona will undoubtedly generate questions and criticisms directed toward the application of this emerging technology and the state regulations that have encouraged its implementation. Elaine Herzberg was walking her bike across a relatively darkened and empty street around 10 p.m. when she was struck by the autonomous Uber. The police have released two videos of the incident, one of which shows the collision itself. The video inside the Uber is 14 seconds long and shows the operator,… Read More
On the evening of November 3rd, 2014 in West Sacramento, 24-year old male Shane Holland and his boyfriend Brady Lawrence, 24, ordered a ride from the popular car-service company Lyft. During the home from a costume party, their Lyft driver, Shanti Adhikari, who was 31 at the time, swerved in the rainy weather conditions to avoid crashing into a stalled car that was stopped in front of him on the freeway. As a result of the swerving, Adhikari hit a tree on the road’s shoulder. Holland died immediately at the scene, even though he was wearing a seatbelt. The accident… Read More
In September 2013, UberX driver Bassim Elbatniji crashed into another vehicle while transporting two Uber customers, Jason Herrera and Nickolas Kolintzas. Both young men were badly hurt and sustained multiple injuries. Herrera said that the accident was so intense and such a blur, that “I basically woke up inside the ambulance. And I actually thought I went through a windshield. Herrera was instructed by Uber personnel to contact the driver to obtain their personal insurance information. When Elbatniji’s insurance company denied Herrera’s claim, stating that they would not cover an accident occurring during drive time for commercial purposes, as is… Read More
