1. Art and Diseño

UNFARE
The Hidden Cost
of
Ridesharing Services
a documentary film
From San Francisco origins, “ridesharing”
services have grown exponentially
in the past five years.
Customers love the convenience of
booking and paying for transportation
with their smartphones.
But what is the true price?
UNFARE is a documentary feature about
ridesharing applications such as Uber, Lyft, and Sidecar.
UNFARE will feature individual drivers, taxi and
ridesharing company industry leaders, policymakers,
legislators, regulators, litigants, and customers..
Exploring the economic and social consequences of ridesharing,
the film questions whether unregulated ridesharing services have a
HIDDEN HUMAN COST.
Understanding
the Issues
of
So-Called
“Ridesharing” Apps
Unregulated, these companies pose a serious
threat to public safety.
Why? For starters, ridesharing application companies use mostly amateur
drivers who are not adequately insured. Their lack of full insurance coverage
could result in uncompensated pain and suffering.
These amateur drivers are not subject to the same background
screening as taxi drivers, whose fingerprints are run through
police and FBI databases.
Equally concerning, these amateur drivers
are not required to pass any drug tests
before they start picking up passengers.
The most infamous insurance loophole involved a 6-year-old girl killed by an
UberX driver. Uber claimed her death was not the company’s responsibility
and noted that its insurance did not cover drivers
without a passenger in the vehicle, since the driver was
allegedly trolling for fares at the time.
A Lyft spokesperson confirmed its insurance contained an identical gap.
INSURANCE ISSUES
Imagine you’re a ridesharing driver and you strike a pedestrian
while you have the ridesharing app open. Do you close the app and
risk losing your personal insurance or do you keep the app open and
risk losing your job? Your personal insurance carrier will cancel your
policy if they discover you’ve been driving commercially—but first
they have to find out. Meanwhile, uberX or Lyft will almost certainly
“deactivate” you if you cause a costly accident. Most drivers would
rather take their chances with losing their private insurance than
almost certainly lose their job. Public officials are already taking
notice of this looming insurance fraud.
Personal auto policies do not allow drivers
to use their vehicles commercially. Consumer
Reports recently warned: “Don't risk your car insurance by
operating your vehicle as a part-time taxi.” Insurance companies
have stated they will cancel the policies of such drivers . A new
umbrella policy annouced by Uber and Lyft still does not cover
the ridesharing driver if he causes the accident. In this case,
the driver would have to rely on his own health insurance to
cover his medical costs.
Cheaper Background Checks
Put Ridesharing Passengers
at
Greater Risk
BACKGROUND CHECKS
In most major cities in the United States, taxicab
drivers are required to purchase background checks
conducted by law enforcement agencies such as
police departments and the FBI. These background
checks include fingerprinting, nationwide
searches and automatic updates for new crimes.
At least two convicted felons have been discovered driving
for the uberX ridesharing service. In the first case, an uberX
driver facing a second felony conviction allegedly assaulted a
passenger. In a second case, the Chicago Tribune discovered
a convicted felon driving for uberX. The District Attorneys of
San Francisco and Los Angeles have filed lawsuits against
Uber for alleged misrepresentations to the public about its
process for vetting drivers.
Ridesharing companies deny they are providing for-hire
transportation—which has been subject to oversight for nearly
100 years. By avoiding regulation, ridesharing companies
cut their costs, thereby increasing their profits at the expense
of public safety. For example, some choose cheaper third-party
background checks which do not automatically inform the
company when an active driver is arrested. This is just one way
in which ridesharing companies directly impact public safety.
Community
Taxi Service
Endangered
by Ridesharing
TAXI COMPANIES
Based on ridesharing companies’ promises of untold wealth as a ridesharing
driver, many drivers are abandoning their positions as licensed taxi drivers.
Because ridesharing companies place an unlimited (and unregulated) number
of vehicles on the road, drivers for regulated taxicab companies are earning less.
As a result, taxicab companies that provide service to all areas of a city, to the
disabled, and to all customers regardless of their income level, are unable to
staff their vehicles with drivers, and taxis sit idle..
The Frightening
Fine Print
in
Uber’s Terms and
Conditions
“The company... does not intend to provide transportation services or act
in any way as a transportation carrier, and has no responsibility or
liability for any transportation services provided to you...”
“...you agree that you shall defend, indemnify and hold the Company, its
licensors and each such party’s parent organizations, subsidiaries, affiliates, officers,
directors, Users, employees, attorneys and agents harmless from and against
any and all claims, costs, damages, losses, liabilities and expenses”
“You acknowledge and agree that you and Company are each waiving the
right to a trial by jury or to participate as a plaintiff...in any purported
class action or representative proceeding.”
“You may be exposed to transportation that is potentially dangerous,
offensive, harmful to minors, unsafe or otherwise objectionable, and...
you use the application and the service at your own risk.”
SURGING PRICES
Some ridesharing services use so-called “surge pricing” for
their services. This means customers are charged
extraordinary amounts during “peak” demand. Without
regulation, ridesharing companies can charge people
more when passengers are in dire need or distress—
even during natural disasters.
For this reason, the price of a fare is one of the
oldest taxi regulations on the books.
DRIVERS
Ridesharing companies lure their drivers by promising
that earnings will equal more than $70,000 a year. Actual
full-time drivers make far less than that when the cost of a
vehicle, its maintenance and gas, and taxes are factored in.
Drivers struggle to earn a living, and many don't even make
Californias' mandated minimum hourly wage. In addition, some
ridesharing companies have even promoted high-interest
vehicle loans to further indenture the drivers. As independent
contractors, drivers work without health insurance or worker's
compensation coverage in the event of disability so these costs are shifted to society at large.
THE LEADERSHIP
Travis Kalanick - CEO and founder of
Uber has been alternately lionized and vilified
for his "shoot first, ask questions later"
approach to running the world's largest ridesharing company. Though Uber was recently
valued at $40 billion, the company faces
litigation in multiple jurisdictions for claims
ranging from wrongful death to unfair business
practices. Under Kalanick's leadership, the
company has repeatedly disavowed
responsibility to regulators and consumers.
These companies fight tooth and claw
against oversight and regulation.
We believe that in a modern capitalist
society, corporate accountability is
a basic human right .
We’re here to make it happen.
UNFARE