uber

Wouldn’t be great if your Uber driver didn’t have to put their hands on the wheel and could spend all their time looking at their phone?

That Utopia is now a reality for San Fransisco users in need of a ride somewhere.

Uber, the ride-share company that has all sorts of problems with labor and drivers assaulting riders, is cutting out the driver entirely. They are launching a fleet of self-driving cars to pick people up and drive them to the airport.

via GIPHY

Of course, there are still people in the driver’s seat for the time being, but it’s only a matter of time before Uber realizes that the car can just drive itself, hence the name “self-driving car.”

Actually, there's a spefic reason for the driver: Legal loopoles! Because they’re the bad boys of the ride-share industry, they don't have to follow the law for these cars, which aren’t really street legal yet.

According to NPR, “Uber has started offering rides in self-driving cars in San Francisco without a permit for autonomous vehicles — defying state regulators, who say the permit is mandatory.”

“Wired magazine suggests Uber is exploiting a loophole of sorts, noting that the regulations, as written, apply to cars that have ‘the capability’ of driving without a person monitoring them. Uber is effectively arguing that its cars' autonomy ‘isn't good enough’ to require a permit, Wired writes.”

Isn’t that great, putting your life in the hands of a company who exploits a loopole because self-driving cars are cool or something?

via Reddit

As if Über’s problems with sexual contact in their cars weren’t bad enough, now they’re politely asking their passengers to stop being so creepy.

QZ points out that, since it’s release, many people were using Über Pool as a place hook up. They write, “Pundits called ride-sharing cars the 'four-wheeled yentas,' 'the new Tinder,' and, you know, a way 'to get laid now.' One driver ran a dating game show in his car.” This comes hot off numerous, awful accounts of people complaining about drivers making unwanted sexual advances on passengers, and the company not doing much about it.

via Reddit

The ride-sharing company has updated their Community Guidelines, particularly those using Über Pool, asking passengers to “give riders and drivers personal space”:

We all value our personal space and privacy. It’s OK to chat with other people in the car. But please don’t comment on someone’s appearance or ask whether they are single. As a passenger, if you need to make a phone call, keep your voice down to avoid disturbing your driver or other riders. And don’t touch or flirt with other people in the car. As a reminder, Über has a no sex rule. That’s no sexual conduct between drivers and riders, no matter what.

Whether or not this will actually help Über’s problem with sexual contact is still unknown, but until then, Über would like to remind you that its service is not Tinder, so just use Tinder, you creeps.

via Empire Fox

Uber has officially decided that the people of Pittsburgh are disposable, as they have started using self-driving cars to pick people up there as their first test location.




Pittsburgh is known for having dinosaur-sized potholes...








With Pittsburgh's confusing-to-navigate-roads, the cars (and passengers) def have their tests ahead of them.






The reviews are in, and folks aren't pleased, but technology always marches onward...






Hey, it could be worse I guess.

In what seems like a WIN, but--as always with Uber--is really a FAIL for humans, Uber has teamed up with financial firm Betterment to offer fee-free retirement accounts to drivers in Seattle, Boston, Chicago, and New Jersey, with options to expand to other cities soon.





Drivers can access the retirement plan from their phones, but Uber won't make any contributions to the accounts, making this "benefit" fall flat.

The accounts are free for only the first year, with fees afterwards calculated at Betterment's regular price, which they say is less than the fees typically charged by traditional financial advisers, but definitely not free. With driver's already hurting for fares...



...we all know Uber, who often works against their workers through "union busting" politics, can do better.

You may remember the belligerent woman who attacked an Uber driver while trying to get a ride home in the wrong car. After the incident, Dr. Anjali Ramkissoon was put on leave during an investigation at her work and publicly shamed on social media. 


via @DanishSait

She also says that in addition to hateful comments, she's received threatening personal messages and that her family's address has been leaked.  

Now she's done the only thing she could think of to pacify the unforgiving public which is to go on national television and apologize. 

NSFW Warning: She starts throwing around some salty language when she starts getting really belligerent. 

This woman tried to hop in an Uber and steal the ride from the unrelated group of people who originally called the car. At least she knew it was time to go home, unfortunately she took out her anger on the driver and his car when he told her he would not be the one to take her. 

The description of the video tells the story up to the start of the video: 

We were on the phone with this uber driver while he pulled up to our location. Out of nowhere the girl in the video gets in the backseat of his car and won't get out. We told the driver it was ok, to just cancel our ride, but he did not want to take her anywhere so he kept telling her to get out.

Eventually the driver gets out and says he's calling the cops to get her out of the car. After a couple of minutes of the driver pretending to talk to the cops (im assuming he was pretending because they never showed up at first), the girl decides to reach into the front seat, grab his keys, and start walking away with his keys in her hands.... That's where the video starts...

According to the video description, she managed to walk away without being arrested. Her name has been released as Dr. Anjali Ramkissoon and according to University of Miami Medicine, she has been placed on leave pending an investigation. 

If potential career obliteration isn't enough retribution for you, don't worry. The internet hate machine was primed and ready to pick up on this incident. 


via @iamcorlissking


via @MorganAnnetteP


via @DanishSait

In the video she can be heard saying, "Oh no! I have lost my mind", while throwing things out the window of the car. Although she was saying it sarcastically, truer words have never been spoken. 

Taxi drivers are blocking traffic in Toronto in protest of Uber taking away profits from taxi companies. It's not a secret that taxi companies don't like dealing with Uber which gets around many of the regulations that taxis have to follow by labeling their service as "ride sharing".

Does that mean it's okay to try to break a stranger's window because you suspect them of being an Uber driver? No.

At least some people have a sense of humor about the incident.


via@seannay

Many people on Twitter think the taxi driver protest is just making people hate the taxi industry more.


via @SunBryMyers

Others are making the point that the taxi industry's real problem isn't Uber, it's that they need to adapt and get better at service and technology.


via @iv0rychick


via @FrankMargani

"Keep the change, ya filthy animal."

The month marks the 25 anniversary of Home alone. To commemorate the fact that the '90s were, yes, really THAT long ago—UberEATS is selling pizza from the Christmas classic.

Starting at 11 a.m., fans can order the classic cheese pizza that Kevin orders before scaring away the pizza guy.

Uber drivers bearing the Little Nero's hats and car logo will bring the pies in their appropriate Little Nero's Pizza boxes. The pizza will actually be local restaurants such as Numero 28 Pizzeria in New York, The Doughroom in Los Angeles, Big G's Pizza in Chicago or Patxi's Pizza in San Francisco.

If you order the pizza pie, you'll also get a digital code to watch Home Alone.

A California man ended his night with sore eyes and in handcuffs after his Uber driver fought back against an alleged assault.

Uber driver Edward Caban was able to grab his pepper spray and defend himself against 32-year-old Benjamin Golden, the passenger Caban said was too drunk and belligerent to give proper directions.

He captured the entire encounter on his dashboard camera.

"He was grabbing my head and was trying to smash it against the window," Caban told NBC4.

"I wanted to make sure he didn't get away," Caban said. "I have lost so much money on people like him and I'm done dealing with it. They take the food right out of my mouth."

Golden was arrested on public intoxication and assault charges, Costa Mesa police said.

Caban ended his YouTube description with this very true statement: "Uber drivers don't get paid enough to deal with this sh*t."

Looks like the Uber app needs a new backpedalling feature.

In what he thought were off-the-record comments at a dinner in New York Monday, Emil Michael, senior vice president of business for Uber, said the company should consider spending a million dollars to investigate and report on the personal lives of journalists who criticize the company.

He mentioned one journalist in particular, "PandoDaily" editor Sarah Lacy, who wrote a column about why she was deleting the Uber app and accusing the company of sexism. He said Uber drivers are safer for women than regular taxis, according to Buzzfeed, and he accused Lacy of being responsible for any woman who also deletes the app because of her article, and as a result is sexually assaulted.

Buzzfeed editor in chief Ben Smith first reported the news, noting that they were never specifically told that the event was supposed to be off-the-record.

Michael has since apologized in a statement:

"The remarks attributed to me at a private dinner — borne out of frustration during an informal debate over what I feel is sensationalistic media coverage of the company I am proud to work for — do not reflect my actual views and have no relation to the company's views or approach."

He also apologized to Sarah Lacy in a Tweet:

@sarahcuda I would like to apologize to you directly. My comments were wrong and I deeply regret them.

— Emil Michael (@emilmichael) November 18, 2014

Lauren in Florida paid $200 to go 11 miles to dinner.

Brook in San Diego paid $92 for a 2.7-mile ride on Halloween.

And Gabby from Baltimore woke up on her 26th birthday to discover the 20-min ride she took home the night before cost $362.

First world problems? Sure. More expensive than it ought to be? Probably.

There is renewed, public outrage this week about Uber's hefty surge pricing, specifically concerning Halloween weekend. After being flooded with complaints earlier this year, the Better business bureau gave Uber an "F" grade, according to the New York Times.

And Uber doesn't seem to really care. Remember the CEO's obnoxious "Pro Tips" about using Uber on New Year's Eve?

The company reiterates on their website, in a special Halloween post, that the surge pricing is meant to keep enough drivers on the road during peak hours.

"Surge pricing allows us to remain reliable, even on one of the busiest nights of the year. Our rates will float in real time with fluctuations in supply and demand. Increased rates incentivize more driver partners to get on the roads and ensure those who need a ride won't be left stranded."

So in the meantime, maybe don't take Uber? Or if you must, a new app called SurgeProtector was released this week to help alleviate the problem, as BuzzFeed points out, which shows you the nearest location that isn't currently charging surge pricing.