- Listen to the entire program with Sonali Kolhatkar<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"\/home\/graphics\/uber_protest.jpg\")
A woman in Panorama City, Southern California, earlier this month was kidnapped by an Uber driver, apparently with the intention to sexually assault her. Earlier this year a six-year old child in San Francisco was tragically killed, also by a driver employed by the controversial Uber mobile app. <\/p>\nUber is a company that connects independent drivers with passengers via smart phone apps, claiming to offer convenience and accessibility. However, the increasingly popular ride-sharing services such as Uber, Lyft, and Sidecar, are now facing opposition from municipalities and taxi-cab companies. <\/p>\n
The companies are global. In Europe, taxi drivers in various cities including London and Madrid, held mass protests against the growing market share being gobbled up by Uber. <\/p>\n
Independent drivers both in Europe and here in the US offering ride-sharing are not regulated as strictly as traditional taxi companies, giving rise to a number of potential problems over issues such as safety and pricing. Colorado just became the first state in the US to pass a bill regulating the services. <\/p>\n
Uber in particular is known for a its policy of \u201csurge pricing,\u201d in which riders are subjected to pay exorbitant, fluctuating, and unpredictable fees depending upon supply and demand. In one instance, a Los Angeles woman paid over $350 for a 14-mile ride across the city. <\/p>\n
GUEST: Darwin Bond Graham is a sociologist and journalist who writes about political economy. He lives and works in the San Francisco Bay Area. Click here<\/a> for his blog. <\/em><\/p>\n