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Ride-Hailing’s Dark Data

A months-long investigation by the San Francisco Public Press revealed that the California Public Utilities Commission — the agency charged with regulating the state’s ride-hailing firms — has kept reports on thousands of accidents involving Uber and Lyft under wraps.

In scores of court cases, meanwhile, the companies have successfully kept evidence about collisions allegedly caused by their drivers secret.

As a result, the public, and even local government officials, have been kept in the dark about the massive industry’s road safety record.

In the wake of Seth Rosenfeld’s reporting, politicians have called for more transparency and the commission has proposed repealing a shadowy confidentiality clause.

Ride-Hailing’s Dark Data

Commission Says Ride-Hailing Secrecy Footnote to Be Addressed Soon

01.28.2020

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By Seth Rosenfeld, Reporter

The California Public Utilities Commission says it expects to decide by the end of March whether to revise or throw out an obscure footnote that it has used to justify keeping data about thousands of ride-hailing accidents across the state under wraps. “We anticipate issuing a decision on the matter in the first quarter of 2020,” commission President Marybel Batjer said in a letter dated Jan. 27 to Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez. The agency also “has established a team dedicated to investigating potential TNC misconduct.”

Ride-Hailing’s Dark Data

Why Taxi Workers Are Calling for the Release of Ride-Hailing Safety Data

01.28.2020

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By Laura Wenus, Editor

The San Francisco Taxi Workers Alliance has joined several legislators in calling for the California Public Utilities Commission to allow at least some public access to ride-hailing safety information.

Ride-Hailing’s Dark Data

Officials Urge Change Following Report That Ride-Hailing Data Is Kept Hidden

01.21.2020

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By Laura Wenus, Editor

Seth Rosenfeld, the reporter who broke the story that ride-hailing safety data has been kept hidden from the public with the help of the industry’s chief regulator, offers an update.

Ride-Hailing’s Dark Data

Officials Demand Disclosure of Ride-Hail Accident Data

01.20.2020

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By Seth Rosenfeld, Reporter

Two state legislators and the chairman of San Francisco’s transportation board say the California Public Utilities Commission should release secret safety records on thousands of ride-hailing accidents. Their comments came in response to a San Francisco Public Press investigation that found the agency has been keeping confidential reports on accidents involving Uber, Lyft and other app-based transportation firms for more than six years.

Ride-Hailing’s Dark Data

Seth Rosenfeld’s Reporting Shines Light on Ride-Hailing’s Dark Data

01.07.2020

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By Laura Wenus, Editor

Audio interview: When investigative reporter Seth Rosenfeld couldn’t find published data on Lyft and Uber’s safety records in California, he set out to find that information for himself

Ride-Hailing’s Dark Data

Safety Report From Uber Leaves Out Most Accidents

01.07.2020

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By Seth Rosenfeld, Reporter

San Francisco-based ride-hailing giant Uber has advertised that it is “embarking on a new chapter of transparency, connectivity and community right here in the city we call home.” But the report does not include thousands of accidents involving the Uber app that the firm knows about.

Ride-Hailing’s Dark Data

Dumped on the Highway, Passengers Fought Uber Secrecy in Court

01.07.2020

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By Seth Rosenfeld, Reporter

After an evening of socializing in Santa Barbara, Margaret Schimmel and her brother, Joseph, hailed an Uber to take them home, but the ride turned into a nightmare, according to a lawsuit they filed against Uber and the driver in San Francisco Superior Court. The case illustrates Uber’s use of secrecy in responding to lawsuits that accuse it and its drivers of injuring people — and the hurdles that accident victims can face in trying to hold the nation’s largest ride-hailing firm accountable.