How to tip your Uber driver

Uber recently added a tipping feature in their passenger app. The ride-hailing and delivery company seeks to have tipping in all US and Canadian cities by the end of July 2017. Uber makes tipping simple and unobtrusive: After the ride ends, rate the driver. [This is not new, of course.] A tip screen follows. [This … Read more

Why Did Uber CEO Kalanick Leave President Trump’s Advisory Panel?

Uber CEO Travis Kalanick resigned from President Trump’s advisory board, made up of the leaders of numerous top American brands. He was the first of those leaders to step down, pressured by a social media storm #deleteUber that arose after he was seen to support Trump. Joining Trump’s Strategic and Policy Forum drew more attention for … Read more

Why Uber CEO Travis Kalanick had to resign from Trump’s Strategic and Policy Forum

Travis Kalanick, Uber co-founder and CEO, did well to resign from President Trump’s Strategic and Policy Forum. The association between the two brash leaders–Kalanick and Trump–blew up in the United States after the President signed the Muslim ban. The resulting hashtags–#banUber and #boycottUber–threaten to spread globally as Trump alienates people worldwide. Presidential tensions threaten Uber’s … Read more

Inside the Pennsylvania ‘Rideshare’ Law: Insurance and Inspections

In November 2016, Pennsylvania recently passed a bill to regulate ride-hailing companies. The ‘rideshare’ law sets insurance standards, fee and licensing requirements for the companies, and inspection standards for the drivers. The law includes new taxes for airport pickups and for rides originating in Philadelphia. More importantly, the law doesn’t require fingerprints to be part … Read more

Montreal Taxis Mount Uber Protest

Montreal taxi drivers protested Uber today throughout the city. They converged in front of the Sun Life Building, surrounded Dorchester Square and congregated in the park. Other drivers circulated throughout the city honking their horns and slowing traffic. Quebec’s recent agreement authorizing a year-long pilot program for Uber goes into effect next week.  

In Montréal, Uber Accepts New Fees, Taxes and Regs

In down-to-the-wire negotiations, Uber and Québec’s Transport Minister agreed to sweeping regulations that could provide other governments a blueprint for how to tax and regulate ride-hailing firms. You can tax Uber; you can regulate Uber; just don’t try to fingerprint their drivers. Under the province’s Bill 100, passed June 10, Uber and the Minister had … Read more

Uber Retirement Program Might Not Be Good Fit For Drivers

As a ‘reward’ to its drivers, Uber recently began offering a discount on retirement programs offered through Betterment, a new online retirement savings management company. Like most offerings from Uber, drivers need to beware. Betterment works best for high earners, and fees for small accounts will cripple a typical driver’s savings growth. Betterment offers account … Read more