Uber ‘safe ride’ fee getting taken to court

Uber introduced a “safe ride fee” of $1 per ride, intended to go toward improving safety for riders and pedestrians through driver background checks and drug screening. Two California residents have filed a class-action lawsuit against Uber regarding that safe-ride fee. This suit is just one more thing in light of continued problems for the company, not only in the U.S., but also in North Korea, Taiwan, China, Thailand, Spain, Brazil and India. These problems include questions about driver licensing and insurance, alleged assaults, and violations of other countries’ transportation laws. In their suit, the San Francisco residents argue that Uber’s safe-ride fee is unfair and deceptive, as driver background checks have been inconsistent at best. The suit describes Uber’s safety measures and background checks as “woefully inadequate,” and would order Uber to repay any funds that it profited illegally. Meanwhile, District Attorneys from Los Angeles and San Francisco have filed their own lawsuit against Uber for its background checking process. That suit is regarding the company’s lack of fingerprint background checking, allowing drivers to potentially pass background checks by using the identity of someone with a clean driving or criminal record. The district attorneys are also calling fraud regarding the “airport fee toll” Uber charges passengers, despite its drivers not paying tolls when taking passengers to or from the airport. Despite these suits, Uber will be allowed to continue operating. The company was recently valued at $40 billion.]]>