Uber Riders File Class Action Lawsuit Over 'Safe Rides Fee'

Two people have filed a class action lawsuit in San Francisco over Uber's $1 "Safe Rides Fee." And shockingly, it wasn't because they got lumped up by their driver with a hammer. They just think it's a bullshit fee.

The lawsuit challenges Uber's claim that it conducts background checks that are supposedly more stringent than that of taxi companies. The only problem? They're really not more stringent. The background checks conducted by taxi companies typically include fingerprints and other methods of verifying a driver's identity. One of the big criticisms of Uber's background checks for UberX drivers is that it's easy to just use someone else's identity.

When I emailed with representatives from Uber back in 2013 asking about their background check process for UberX drivers, they replied that it was a trade secret. More and more municipalities are demanding that those "trade secrets" be spilled.

The class action suit was brought by private citizens, but district attorneys in Los Angeles and San Francisco filed their own suits earlier this month over the Safe Rides Fee. Uber is a big fan of rather dubious added fees lately, including a new $2 fee in New York for booking a traditional taxi through Uber.

I can't wait until they have a monopoly on transportation in this country! It's going to be just fees as far as the eye can see! [Forbes]

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