Who are you riding with? Limousine Providers vs. Ride-Hailing Apps
Driver and passenger safety has plagued ride-hailing app services. When you get into a car, you’re riding with a stranger. To address security issues, Uber added a 9-1-1 button. However, Jason Levine, Executive Director of Auto Safety said, “The announcement appears to be addressing the symptom as opposed to the problems.” -- City Lab
Wired commented, “These smart and necessary changes” are not groundbreaking: “These types of features one should expect of a ride-sharing company valued at $72 billion.” Quartz
Be Driven Safely, in conjunction the National Limousine Association and Who’s Driving You, a public awareness campaign from the Taxicab, Limousine and Paratransit Association (TLPA) are advocating “for-hire” vehicle safety and highlighting the risks of using Uber and Lyft. “Uber and Lyft undercut “for-hire” vehicle safety with inadequate insurance, lack of background checks, and more.”
The decade of cheap rides Is over. For much of the last decade, even for long rides, taking an Uber has been cheap. That is because Uber has lost an astounding sum since its founding in 2009, including more than $30 billion in the five-odd years since the company’s finances became public. Together with earlier losses and a similar strategy at rival Lyft, this has amounted to an enormous, investor-fueled subsidy of America’s ride-hailing habit. Those days are over, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi told employees in a memo last week.