Uber, founded in 2010, was sued by 19 Taxi companies in California this week over false advertisement claims. Uber has been advertising as the safest ride on the road and the taxi companies feel this claim has given them an unfair advantage. The plaintiffs state that taxi drives must go through background checks making their rides safer on the surface. Uber, in a response, states that their drivers go through three local checks and their system of driver ratings makes them even safer.
The company, headquartered in San Francisco, has run up against legal trouble in many places that it operates. The unlicensed driver service competes directly with limos and taxis and is not favored by many lawmakers. Germany recently banned the company’s phone app. And South Korea is charging drivers as running unlicensed taxi services. The mobile app was banned last year in Thailand, Spain, and India.
California district attorneys sue Uber over safety issues