uber-...

[airbags]

Regular reader, don't bother posting too much but can I just ask honestly the no. of people here who use the word "uber" in everday conversation? I thought it was a pretty obscure word until I came on here, why can't Pete Doherty be just a "gay twat." Must he be an "uber gay twat?"

[Spy Bee]

I use the word uber all the time. In fact I'd say I'm an uberuser of the word uber.

[Guest Jay W]

Never ever said it in my life, but I thinks it's a pretty funky word...

[Neil G]

I use the word uber all the time. In fact I'd say I'm an uberuser of the word uber.

 

An uberuberuser then.

[plonky]

LFC über alles

[Anubis]

Johnnycabs run into a spot of bother, with Arnie nowhere to be seen.

 

 

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-03-25/uber-autonomous-vehicle-gets-in-accident-in-tempe-arizona

 

 

 

chnologies Inc. is suspending its self-driving car program after one of its autonomous vehicles was involved in a high-impact crash in Tempe, Arizona, the latest incident for a company reeling from multiple crises.

In a photo posted on Twitter, one of Uber’s Volvo self-driving SUVs is pictured on its side next to another car with dents and smashed windows. An Uber spokeswoman confirmed the incident, and the veracity of the photo, and added that the ride-hailing company is suspending its autonomous tests in Arizona until it completes its investigation and pausing its Pittsburgh operations.

Travis Kalanick.

Photographer: Qilai Shen/Bloomberg

The Uber vehicle was not responsible for the incident and there were no injuries, Tempe police information officer Josie Montenegro told Bloomberg News. Another car failed to yield for the Uber car, causing the autonomous vehicle to flip on its side, according to the police report.

"There was a person behind the wheel," said Montenegro regarding the Uber vehicle. "It is uncertain at this time if they were controlling the vehicle at the time of the collision."

An Uber spokeswoman said "we are continuing to look into this incident and can confirm we had no backseat passengers in the vehicle."

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Uber began testing self-driving cars in Pittsburgh last year and soon expanded to Arizona, after its self-driving cars were banned from San Francisco’s streets in December by the California Department of Motor Vehicles. The focus on self-driving cars was intended to demonstrate Uber’s progress with the nascent technology, and it began picking up customers in Tempe last month after Arizona Governor Doug Ducey, a proponent of self-driving cars, took the inaugural ride.

However, Uber’s self-driving car program has been mired in controversy. Waymo, Alphabet Inc.’s autonomous driving business that is also testing driverless vehicles in Arizona, sued an Uber unit called Otto earlier this year for allegedly stealing designs for an important component of driverless cars known as lidar. Uber called the suit "baseless."

The photo, showing the Uber SUV on its side, suggests a relatively high-impact crash. That would be a contrast to the incidents involving self-driving cars tested by Waymo. In more than 2 million miles of testing on public roads, Waymo’s vehicles were mostly minor incidents, often when other cars drove into the back of their vehicles in busy areas. 

The incident also comes as Uber, and Chief Executive Officer Travis Kalanick, are currently under scrutiny because of a series of scandals. The ride-hailing company has been accused of operating a sexist workplace. This month, the New York Times reported that Uber used a tool called Greyball to help drivers evade government regulators and enforcement officials. Kalanick said he needed "leadership help" after Bloomberg published a video showing him arguing with an Uber driver.

 

 

[TheHowieLama]

Maybe Uber is not a thing over yonder:

 

Lyft and Uber have been awaiting a landmark decision from a court in the state, which would enforce a new labor law known as AB5. The law, which went into effect in January, would require the companies to classify its drivers as employees and provide them with a minimum wage and benefits. The decision, which was expected today, has been postponed until October.

California Uber and Lyft drivers brace for shutdown over worker classification

 

 

Read more

AB5 was passed in 2019 and went into effect in January 2020. Uber and Lyft still have not begun to classify drivers as employees, instead making a series of changes to their apps in an attempt to work around the law. In May, the state of California sued both companies for misclassifying drivers under the new law, compelling them to adhere to AB5.

[Barrington Womble]

1 hour ago, TheHowieLama said:

Maybe Uber is not a thing over yonder:

 

Lyft and Uber have been awaiting a landmark decision from a court in the state, which would enforce a new labor law known as AB5. The law, which went into effect in January, would require the companies to classify its drivers as employees and provide them with a minimum wage and benefits. The decision, which was expected today, has been postponed until October.

California Uber and Lyft drivers brace for shutdown over worker classification

 

 

Read more

AB5 was passed in 2019 and went into effect in January 2020. Uber and Lyft still have not begun to classify drivers as employees, instead making a series of changes to their apps in an attempt to work around the law. In May, the state of California sued both companies for misclassifying drivers under the new law, compelling them to adhere to AB5.

 Would this be federal or a state level thing? 

 

It only hampers them in the short term either way as their aim is to have us all with their version of Johnny cabs. 

[TheHowieLama]

State. Pendulum swinging back on gig.