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Category: RideShareRevolution

RideSharingRevolution

  • Facebook Messenger May Soon Get More Business-Friendly

    Facebook Messenger May Soon Get More Business-Friendly

    There will soon be a lot more business transactions happening within Facebook Messenger if a recent discovery buried within the app is any indication.

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    According to Forbes, a “forthcoming software release” will let users pay for goods in person or “pay directly in Messenger when you pick up the item,” effectively turning Messenger into another Wallet service.

    It sounds like rather than trying to compete with Apple Pay, Android Pay, and the like, Facebook will work to partner with such existing payment services, which could go a long way toward getting people to actually use it. If it works with services people are already using, people may be more inclined to try it out. On the other hand, it’s unclear what reason they would have to do so if they are in fact already using the other service.

    As Forbes notes, however, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said a couple months ago that the company would be willing to partner with other companies that do payments.

    Zuckerberg said during the company’s earnings conference call (via Seeking Alpha’s transcript), “On payments, the basic strategy that we have is to make it especially in products like Messenger that where the business interaction maybe a bit more transactional, to take all the friction out of making the transactions that you need. So, we don’t view ourselves as a payments business, that’s not the type of company that we are. We’ll partner with everyone who does payment. We look at the stuff that Apple is doing with Apple Pay for example as a really neat innovation in the space that takes a lot of friction out of transactions as well. And our view is that the less friction, the better the user experience, the more people can easily interact with businesses that they care about. And ultimately for our business that will drive up the amount that businesses are willing to pay to advertise to send people into those interactions because they perform well. So it’s good for everyone but that’s how we think about that.”

    During the call, Zuckerberg said with Messenger, they had been focused on two things. The first was expanding the the types of content people can share with the service. The other thing would be business.

    “But in terms of the business, the more important piece is how people can interact with businesses through Messenger,” he said. “And we started some early small tests around f8 last year where with some ecommerce services made it so that people who were buying things could follow up with the business and get customer support and buy more things. And we went through this process of integrating that and making sure that it’s integrated with all these system well. And I think everyone is really happy with that so far. So we started off pretty slowly, but that’s going to be some of the basis for how we look to make Messenger a business going forward. And we’re happy with the initial results. There is obviously a lot more there that we need to do and we’ll have more to talk about this year and beyond.”

    It was about a year ago that Facebook began allowing for P2P payments with Messenger.

    As Zuckerberg alluded to, Facebook introduced some things at F8 last year. For one, they turned Messenger into a platform, and opened it to developers to build new experiences. Secondly, they revealed business features like the ability to let your customers connect with you via Messenger and then send them personalized updates and talk to them in real time.

    In August, Facebook launched Pages Messaging, which gave customers more ways to send messages to businesses and ways for Page admins to manage and respond to them. People can send messages to Page from a local awareness ad. They’ll see a button that says “Send Message” from which they can initiate a onversation in a Messenger window that appears. For Pages, the incoming messages include an attachment that shows the ad that prompted the message. Once the user initiates the conversation, the business can respond as they like. They also started letting businesses respond via FB message to public comments.

    Late last year, Facebook announced its Request a Ride service, which let users request, track, and pay for Uber rides all within Messenger. Messenger got new Lyft integration earlier this month as well. Now, you can also check into KLM flights with Messenger.

    A December report found that Messenger is the fastest growing of the top apps in the U.S. It has 800 million people using it each month. Earlier this year, Facebook shared this infographic looking at last year’s additions to the product as well as trends for this year.

    F8 is coming back on April 12, and the company is expected to make new announcements pertaining to Messenger’s progress and plans for business. This may very well include new payment partners.

    Do you expect Messenger to be a valuable tool for business?

    Image via Facebook

  • Shopify Adds Sales Channels To Help You Sell From More Places

    Shopify Adds Sales Channels To Help You Sell From More Places

    A lot of businesses are about to have a lot more ways to sell their products with Shopify. The company announced that it is giving developers tools to build new sales channels to put Shopify into more and more apps. Right off the bat, eBates, Houzz, Wanelo are getting them, and more will be on the way.

    The idea is that people are shopping in all kinds of apps, and Shopify wants to give sellers a chance to get at potential customers in more places.

    “Managing several channels should be every bit as simple as managing one,” says Shopify’s Satish Kanwar. “With Shopify, you get a single place to run your business, one, unified platform for managing all your channels, products, orders, customers, and analytics.”

    “To make selling through multiple channels even easier, we’ve made some improvements to Shopify,” he adds. “These improvements, which will be rolling out over the coming weeks, refine the channels experience and make it easier to explore new ways to grow your business.”

    You can find Sales Channels from the left navigation in Shopify.

    Expect to see many more sales channels emerge in the future. Developers can find the Sales Channel SDK and everything they need to get started here.

    Last week, Shopify launched a new WordPress plugin and some new themes. This will also be a tremendous help for a lot of businesses, making it easier to sell on WordPress sites.

    Both the themes and plugin are free. You can use them to add products to any of your pages or blogposts without leaving the content management platform.

    “As usual, you’ll still manage all of your pages and posts in WordPress, but you’ll have Shopify to manage everything else: payments, secure checkout, shipping and fulfillment, inventory, and taxes—all the hard things about selling online,” says Shopify’s Daniel Patricio.

    The themes are called Hype by Themezilla, Simple by Themify, and Pulse by Ultralinx. You can see them below in that order.

    “Installing the plugin adds the ability to easily drop products with buy buttons into any sidebar, page or blog post,” says Patricio. “Plus, you’ll get a slick pop-out shopping cart for your site, so customers can purchase multiple products at once.”

    While the plugin is free to Shopify users, it does cost $9 a month for a “lite” Shopify plan. The plan will also get you Facebook Shop, Shopify POS for iOS or Android, access to the Shopify app store, and 24/7 support.

    Last month, Shopify posted its 2015 year in Review. In this, it revealed that it currently has over 243,000 businesses in over 150 countries. They added over 98,000 merchants last year alone. This was of course when they added buy buttons for Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter as well as a mobile SDK enabling the sales of products in mobile apps and Apple Pay. They also partnered with Amazon to bring Amazon services to merchants, and with Uber on local shipping.

    Images via Shopify

  • Google Maps Gets Ride Services Tab, Includes Uber

    Google Maps Gets Ride Services Tab, Includes Uber

    Google announced that it’s adding a ride services tab to Google Maps on mobile. This swill exist alongside car, transit, walking, and biking options that were already there.

    The feature includes Uber services U.S. as well as those from 99Taxis in Brazil, Ola Cabs in India, Hailo in the UK and Spain, mytaxi in Germany and Spain, and Gett in the U.K.

    “If you have a provider’s app installed and tap on the ride service tab, you’ll be able to see fare estimates and pick up times if a car is available near you,” says software engineer Holger Flier. “Select a service, and we’ll take you directly to their app for you to book your ride with one tap. When it makes sense, we’ll also show ride service availability when viewing the map in walking and transit directions, and multiple ride services options for each provider—where they exist. For example, if you’re using Uber, starting today, we’ll now show uberX, uberXL and UberBLACK for an easy and quick comparison.”

    The new tab will roll out on Android over the coming days, and then to iOS in the near future.

    Images via Uber (Facebook), Google

  • Jerry Hall Shares Photo Of Her ‘Beautiful Family’ On Her Big Day

    Jerry Hall Shares Photo Of Her ‘Beautiful Family’ On Her Big Day

    Jerry Hall tweeted a sweet photo of herself with her large family and it looked “beautiful,” indeed.

    Hall shared a photo of her and her new husband, media mogul, Rupert Murdoch, surrounded by their children from previous relationships.

    She captioned the snap: “My beautiful family! Photo: David Bailey.” Hall and Murdoch married at Spencer House, a property owned by the late Princess Diana’s brother Earl Spencer, on March 4.

    On March 5, they had an hour-long blessing at St. Bride’s, dubbed as the “spiritual home of the media.”

    Murdoch’s four daughters from his previous three marriages were present: Chloe 12, Grace, 14, Elisabeth, 47, and Prudence, 57 as well as sons, Lachlan, 44 and James, 43.

    Hall has two daughters with Sir Mick Jagger: Georgia, 24 and Lizzie, 32. Her sons James Jagger, 30 and Gabriel, 18 were also in attendance.

    The wedding was attended by many famous names in the entertainment and media industry. Andrew Lloyd Webber, Sir Michael Caine, and Bob Geldof were among the famous faces spotted at the event.

    This is Murdoch’s fourth marriage, while this is the first official marriage for former supermodel. She and Jagger had a Hindu wedding ceremony in Bali, Indonesia in 1990, but the British court declared it invalid.

    Murdoch, 85, and Hall, 59, reaffirmed their wedding vows at an hour-long church service, while music by Vivaldi, Wagner, and Schubert and the hymns “Jerusalem” and “Amazing Grace” played.

    Jerry Hall looked happy and radiant in her flowing powder blue dress.

    “Jerry has simply not stopped smiling. She was ecstatic – they both were – it was a fantastic service,” Rolling Stone Bill Wyman observed.

    Murdoch took to Twitter to announce that he was the “happiest and luckiest man in the world,” on the big day.

  • Facebook Messenger Gets Lyft Integration

    Facebook Messenger Gets Lyft Integration

    In December, Facebook announced a feature for Messenger that lets users request a ride fro Uber. Lyft announced today that it now provides Facebook Messenger integration.

    The company announced that it is expanding its reach with the launch of a public API with Facebook as the marquee partner. Lyft launched Slack integration in October.

    Lyft will roll out to Messenger users in 11 cities right now. These include San Francisco, New York, Miami, Atlanta, Nashville, Austin, Washington D.C., and Denver. Next week, it will be available to all Messenger users in the U.S.

    “Messenger (and Slack, too) help bridge the gap between online connections and real-world experiences,” Lyft says in a blog post. “Messaging with a friend to set up plans, or finally score a meeting with that key networking contact for your dream job? Request your Lyft without ever leaving the Messenger app, and get face-to-face even faster.”

    “With Messenger, our two companies share a unique brand alignment,” it says. “Lyft’s mission is to unite humanity and technology – and Messenger’s goal is to be the best way to communicate with the people and businesses that matter to you most. In the coming weeks, as Messenger x Lyft rolls out across the country, we’ll celebrate our shared priorities and dedication to delighting users with unique surprise promotions. To get a Lyft while using Messenger, tap ‘Transportation,’ select Lyft, and ride.”

    More than 800 million people use Messenger monthly according to Facebook’s latest figures.

    Image via Lyft

  • Danica Patrick Pretends To Be A Lyft Driver For A Day, Surprises Fans

    Danica Patrick Pretends To Be A Lyft Driver For A Day, Surprises Fans

    NASCAR star Danica Patrick became an ordinary Lyft car driver for a day and surprised her riders with her mad driving sills.

    Wearing a grey knitted cap, black leather jacket and a pair of shades, Danica Patrick was able to conceal her real identity. Those passengers she picked up in Charlotte, North Carolina experienced an exciting ride with the pro racer.

    Danica Patrick entertained her passengers with a few moves on the street and even tried to get other drivers to race her, but of course she was still very careful considering she was driving on the streets of North Carolina and not on the circuit.

    “I try and get in, like, 500 miles on Sundays, and I try and do it in, like, under four hours,” Patrick said to one unsuspecting passenger when she tried to give clues as to her real identity. In the video, she repeatedly said she loved making “left turns.”

    However, her passengers were totally unaware that they got a ride from a NASCAR star. One guy described Danica Patrick as “awesome” when the she asked of his opinion about “the girl who races.” Another rider said his favorite race car driver was Danica Patrick and he had no idea he was with the very person.

    When she revealed her identity, the passengers were all surprised. They all took selfies with the star before parting. Everybody seemed to have enjoyed their once-in-lifetime joy ride.

    Watch Danica Patrick Take These Unsuspecting Passengers for a Joy Ride

    On Sunday, Danica Patrick will be driving for Stewart-Haas Racing, her new team, with new crew chief, Billy Scott and sponsor, Nature’s Bakery. The racer is keeping her hopes up that the changes will bring her first Sprint Cup victory in five years on the track this year.

    Lyft had previously enlisted Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant and NFL star Jerry Rice as Lyft drivers.

  • Ride-hailing company Lyft Inc. said Monday it’s partnering with General Motors Co.

    Ride-hailing company Lyft Inc. said Monday it’s partnering with General Motors Co.

    With the investment, Lyft is much smaller than Uber, the giant of the ride-hailing space.Here are some of the major players who are changing the way we get from Point A to Point B.

    Funding: More than $10 billion from traditional venture investors, institutional lenders and tech giants like Google, Microsoft and China’s Baidu, which see value both in its fast-growing ride business and its accumulated data on traffic and rider habits. It’s reportedly seeking additional investors at a valuation of $62.5 billion.

    The work depicts Jobs in his trademark black turtleneck jumper carrying an early model of his Apple computer and with a black bin bag slung over his shoulder.

    With today’s announcement, SpaceIL is the first of the 16 Lunar X Prize teams to book a ride off the planet. If the mission succeeds, it will be the first Israeli mission — as well as the first private spaceflight mission — to soft-land a vehicle on the lunar surface. Eran Privman, CEO of SpaceIL, claimed the group isn’t focused on the competition, but they are confident they can win. “I promise you once we land on the Moon, we’ll look around and see we are the first,” he said.

    Only three nations have ever landed a spacecraft intact on the Moon: the United States, Russia, and China. Many countries have slammed lunar orbiters or probes into the Moon to study its environment, but gently landing a spacecraft is trickier. The Moon is big enough to have a gravitational pull, but it doesn’t have an atmosphere to slow incoming objects. Spacecraft in lunar orbit must fire retro-rockets, very precisely, in the opposite direction of the Moon. That way they can slowly descend without slamming into the rock. It’s a delicate procedure that usually requires a lot of time and money, which is why only government agencies have been able to do it up until now.

    A trait carried over from their debut, luckily for us listeners

    Egyptian chest, and was moreover intensified by his delirium, that his mates were forced to lace him fast, even there, as he sailed, raving in his hammock. In a strait-jacket, he swung to the mad rockings of the gales. And, when running into more sufferable latitudes, the ship, with mild stun’sails spread, floated across the tranquil tropics, and, to all appearances.

    SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket during launch. (SpaceX)
    SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket during launch. (SpaceX)

    That it was only then, on the homeward voyage, after the encounter, that the final monomania seized him, seems all but certain from the fact that, at intervals during the passage, he was a raving lunatic; and, though unlimbed of a leg, yet such vital strength yet lurked in his Egyptian chest, and was moreover intensified by his delirium, that his mates were forced to lace him fast, even there, as he sailed, raving in his hammock. In a strait-jacket, he swung to the mad rockings of the gales. And, when running into more sufferable latitudes, the ship, with mild stun’sails spread, floated across the tranquil tropics, and, to all appearances, the old man’s delirium seemed left behind him with the Cape Horn swells.

    Human madness is oftentimes a cunning and most feline thing. When you think it fled, it may have but become transfigured into some still subtler form. Ahab’s full lunacy subsided not, but deepeningly contracted; like the unabated Hudson, when that noble Northman flows narrowly, but unfathomably through the Highland gorge.

    Lauren Mayberry’s lyrics touches on elements of heartbreak

    God the direful madness was now gone; even then, Ahab, in his hidden self, raved on. Human madness is oftentimes a cunning and most feline thing. When you think it fled, it may have but become transfigured into some still subtler form. Ahab’s full lunacy subsided not, but deepeningly contracted; like the unabated Hudson, when that noble Northman flows narrowly, but unfathomably through the Highland gorge.

    jh123But, as in his narrow-flowing monomania, not one jot of Ahab’s broad madness had been left behind; so in that broad madness, not one jot of his great natural intellect had perished. That before living agent, now became the living instrument. If such a furious trope may stand, his special lunacy stormed his general sanity, and carried it, and turned all its concentred cannon upon its own mad mark. I knew the Indians would soon discover that they were on the wrong trail and that the search for me would be renewed in the right direction as soon as they located my tracks. I had gone but a short distance further when what seemed to be an excellent trail opened up around the face of a high cliff. The trail was level and quite broad and led upward and in the general direction I wished to go. The cliff arose for several hundred feet on my right, and on my left was an equal and nearly perpendicular drop to the bottom of a rocky ravine.

  • Facebook Messenger Continues Evolution To Assistant

    Facebook Messenger Continues Evolution To Assistant

    Facebook announced a new feature for Messenger that lets you request a ride from a car service like Uber.

    In fact, Uber is a partner on the feature, though Facebook says it’s just the first partner. Lyft is reportedly coming soon.

    Introducing Transportation on Messenger from Facebook on Vimeo.

    “To get started, download the latest version of Messenger,” explains product manager Seth Rosenberg. “Then, from within a conversation, tap the more menu and choose Transportation. You can also search directly for Uber – our first partner – and tap the car icon to request a ride. From there, you’ll receive updates on your driver’s status and notify your friends that you’ve called a ride. With the ability to request, track and pay for a ride in Messenger, we’re making transportation as simple as sending a message.”

    For now, users can get a ride for free the first time they use the feature (up to $20 value).

    “All you have to do to claim your free ride is link your existing Uber account or set up a new account within Messenger and request a ride,” says Rosenberg. “Driver status updates and payment receipts will get delivered to a private conversation between you and Uber. With everything in one place, you can seamlessly keep track of your ride and payment history.”

    Over the past year, Facebook has been adding a lot of functionality to Messenger to make it more useful for a variety of situations – way beyond simple messaging. Facebook may have closed down some of its standalone apps recently, but this one is definitely a keeper.

    Images via Facebook

  • Android Pay Hits Apps

    Android Pay Hits Apps

    Google unveiled Android Pay at Google I/O in May as its answer to Apple Pay. It exists separate from Google’s previous payments offering Google Wallet, which got its own overhaul in September.

    Also in September, Android Pay was actually launched, giving users the ability to pay with their Android phones at locations throughout the U.S.

    We knew it was coming, but Google has now launched the ability to pay with Android Pay in apps as well.

    “No more pulling out your credit card while on-the-go,” says Android pay director of product management Pali Bhat. “No more errors thanks to clumsy thumbs. Just tap the Android Pay button in the app, confirm your information, and you’re done! And just like your purchases in stores, Android Pay never shares your card details with merchants.”

    “In the next few months, you’ll see more and more of your favorite apps adding Android Pay to help you speed through mobile checkout,” Bhat adds. “For a limited time, you’ll also get special savings by using Android Pay in select apps—from $20 off on OpenTable* dining, $10 off your Lyft ride*, $10 off DoorDash* to 30% off Vinted*—there’s something for everyone.”

    There’s a collection of offers available here.

    Developers who want to add Android Pay to their apps can find the API developer site here.

    The company says it will roll out Android Pay in Australia in the first half of 2016. Additional countries will follow throughout the year.

    So far, there are over a million locations across the United States that accept Android Pay.

    Image via Google

  • Slack Expands As A Platform With Easier Slash Commands

    Slack Expands As A Platform With Easier Slash Commands

    Slack recently launched the Add to Slack Button enabling users to get alerts, reminders, and notifications in Slack from apps and sites that use the button. According to the company, this was just the first step in improving the Slack Platform.

    Enter new functionality for Slash Commands. These use the same button and are just as easy to install, the company says. It explains in a blog post:

    For outside apps and services that have written code to talk to our new API, you just click a button to add it to your own Slack team. There’s also new functionality in Slash Commands: they can post both privately and publicly into channels along with improved formatting.

    Once you’ve installed a new Slash Command, type a Slack message and a variety of custom output will display in your channels. We’ve done behind-the-scenes work to make it easy to do all the things you can do with a given 3rd party application, with the easiest possible installation.

    Lyft, Foursquare, Dribble, Poncho, and Blockspring are among the early adopters.

    Lyft’s integration lets you check how long it would take to get a car, as well as the estimated cost between two addresses. It also lets you request a car to your saved home and work addresses from inside Slack.

    With Foursquare’s integration, Slack users can type things like /foursquare lunch near 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, Washington, DC to find restaurants, stores, parks, etc. Dribble’s slash command lets you bring up images according to keyword.

    Developers can respond publicly to commands, respond up to five times to a command, up to a half hour after the initial command. They can also control the icon, name, and formatting of responses. They can add photo and text attachments.

    Slack also announced this week that custom profiles are now enabled for all Standard and Plus teams. These now have bigger profile photos and share members’ principal locations. They’ve also made improvements to the editing process. More on all of that here.

    Image via Slack

  • Uber Isn’t the Only One Getting Sued over the ‘Employee or Contractor’ Issue

    Uber Isn’t the Only One Getting Sued over the ‘Employee or Contractor’ Issue

    With the rapid growth of the so-called ‘sharing economy’, one of the biggest issues has been whether or not workers for services like Uber and Lyft are employees of contractors.

    Uber’s stance has always been that it’s a software company. Uber connects people wanting a ride to those offering a ride. It’s a logistics company. Uber simply connects third-party contractors with customers. Its drivers are independent contractors, not employees.

    This has been met with numerous lawsuits and some unfavorable (for Uber, at least) rulings from regulatory bodies.

    But it’s not just Uber that’s facing lawsuit over the employee or contractor question.

    Food delivery services like GrubHub, Caviar, and DoorDash are now embroiled in a class action lawsuit of their own.

    And it’s the same lawyer that’s going after Uber in San Francisco.

    From the Chicago Tribune:

    The complaints were filed in San Francisco Superior Court on behalf of the delivery drivers by Boston attorney Shannon Liss-Riordan, who is also representing plaintiffs in similar lawsuits against on-demand transportation companies Uber and Lyft. A federal judge in San Francisco certified the lawsuit against Uber for class action last month.

    The complaints filed against GrubHub and DoorDash are both class actions, while the Caviar complaint is a demand for arbitration on behalf of a San Francisco driver.

    Earlier this month, a court ruled the case against Uber could proceed as a class action.

    The lawsuit, which was filed in 2013 and fought by Uber all the way, questions the company’s classification of its drivers. The class of drivers says it should be considered employees, not contractors, which would entitle them to things like reimbursement of expenses, minimum wage, overtime pay, and more.

    A week later, the California Employment Development Department (EDD) ruled that a former Uber driver was in fact an employee, not a contractor. That’s not the first time a regulatory agency has done that.

  • Uber, Lyft Finally Launch in Las Vegas

    Uber, Lyft Finally Launch in Las Vegas

    After obtaining the proper state permits from the Nevada Transportation Authority earlier this week, both Uber and Lyft have announced they are finally available in Las Vegas.

    “Yesterday, we were officially permitted to operate by the state of Nevada by the Nevada Transportation Authority and now we are live,” said Eva Behrend, a spokeswoman for Uber. “We are excited to be a part of the Nevada community and to offer another option for people from Henderson to North Las Vegas to Reno to connect with a safe, reliable, convenient ride at the touch of a button.”

    “We’ve had our eye on Las Vegas for a long time, and we’re so excited to finally be a part of the city. There’s no shortage of incredible things to see in Vegas, like famous pop divas, title fights, the Neon Museum…The list goes on. And now, Lyft is ready to make sure you can get to every last one, easily and affordably,” says Lyft.

    Las Vegas was one of the last major US cities without an Uber or Lyft presence.

    Though both on-demand ride companies are now operating in the city, neither will be able to transport passenger to and from McCarran International Airport.

    This is the first time Lyft has ever operated in the state, but it’s a reintroduction for Uber. The company first launched there in 2014 but was banned in November.

    The Las Vegas Review-Journal says Clark County still had some questions for the companies and asked them to wait until late October to begin operations – a request that was obviously denied.

  • Android Pay Is Now Here

    Android Pay Is Now Here

    Google announced that it is now beginning to roll out Android Pay, its answer to Apple Pay as unveiled at Google I/O in May. The product lets Android users pay securely with their phones at millions of physical locations throughout the U.S. as well as in apps.

    Android Pay also stores gift cards, loyalty cards, and other offers from various restaurants and stores. Partners include best Buy, Coca-Cola, GameStop, Jamba Juice, McDonald’s, Macy’s, Pepsi, Office Depot, Staples, Walgreens, Toys R Us, Whole Foods, Domino’s, Dunkin Donuts, Lyft, Groupon, LivingSocial, Etsy, Priceline, Uber, and Chipotle to name a few.

    Screen Shot 2015-09-10 at 2.11.08 PM

    Screen Shot 2015-09-10 at 2.12.32 PM

    “Android Pay works with all NFC-enabled Android devices (running KitKat 4.4+), on any mobile carrier, at every tap and pay ready location across the US,” explains Pali Bhat, Director of Product Management for Android Pay. “Android Pay will support credit and debit cards from the four major payment networks: American Express, Discover, MasterCard and Visa. These cards are issued by many of the most popular US banks and credit unions, including American Express, Bank of America, Discover, Navy Federal Credit Union, PNC, Regions Bank, USAA, and U.S. Bank. Citi and Wells Fargo will be available in the next few days, Capital One is coming soon, and we’re adding new banks all the time.”

    Here’s the presentation from Google I/O:

    “We know how important it is to keep your personal and financial information secure, so Android Pay is supported by industry standard tokenization,” says Bhat. “This means your real credit or debit card number isn’t sent with your payment. Instead, we’ll use a virtual account number that provides an extra layer of security. As soon as you make a purchase, you’ll see a payment confirmation that shows where a given transaction happened, so it’s easy to catch any suspicious activity. And if your phone is ever lost or stolen, simply use Android Device Manager to instantly lock your device from anywhere, secure it with a new password, or even wipe it clean of your personal information.”

    Android Pay is rolling out gradually over the coming days, and Google says it will be adding more features, banks, and store locations in the coming months. In fact, the mobile checkout functionality in apps, which has been touted since Android Pay’s initial unveiling won’t be available until later this year. Stay tuned.

    Ahead of the announcement, Google launched a new Google Wallet app, which will remain a separate service from Android Pay. More on that here.

    Images via Google

  • Google Wallet Gets A Brand New App

    Google Wallet Gets A Brand New App

    Google launched a new Google Wallet app in the Google Play store. It’s a separate app from the existing Google Wallet app that you already know.

    In fact, if you search for Google Wallet in the store, you’ll still find the old one. 9to5Google, however, points us to the new one, which is labeled “Google Wallet (New)“. The publication suggests that the old version will likely be converted to Android Pay when that becomes available, and the new one will function as the continuing Google Wallet.

    The new one lets you send money to anyone in the U.S. with an email address regardless of whether they have a Wallet account. You can send money directly from your debit card, bank account, or Wallet Balance. You can also use it to manage your Wallet Card, cash out, and keep track of your spending.

    On the app’s page in the Google Play Store, Google notes that the Android Pay app is coming soon.

    Android Pay was unveiled at Google I/O earlier this year at Google I/O as the company’s answer to Apple Pay. Google described it as “the simple and secure way to pay with your Android phone”. It lets you pay for things in stores as well as in apps. Partners include best Buy, Coca-Cola, GameStop, Jamba Juice, McDonald’s, Macy’s, Pepsi, Office Depot, Staples, Walgreens, Toys R Us, Whole Foods, Domino’s, Dunkin Donuts, Lyft, Groupon, LivingSocial, Etsy, Priceline, Uber, and Chipotle to name a few.

    Loyalty programs and special offers are automatically applied at checkout. More on that here.

    Images via Google

  • Uber’s Background Checks Let Murderer, Sex Offenders, and Other Felons Through the Cracks, Say DAs

    Uber’s Background Checks Let Murderer, Sex Offenders, and Other Felons Through the Cracks, Say DAs

    Uber’s background checks are not working, according to two California District Attorneys.

    The district attorneys of San Francisco and Los Angeles have filed an update to a complaint originally filed in December. The suit’s overarching claim is that Uber has been continually misleading customers over the efficacy of its background checks. The amended complaints now contains specific allegations – most notably that Uber has allowed multiple registered sex offenders, burglars, and a convicted murderer through the cracks.

    Uber calls its background screening “rigorous,” saying “all Uber ridesharing and livery partners must go through a rigorous background check. The three-step screening we’ve developed across the United States, which includes county, federal and multi-state checks, has set a new standard. These checks go back 7 years, the maximum allowable by the Fair Credit Reporting Act. We apply this comprehensive and new industry standard consistently across all Uber products, including uberX.”

    But the DAs take issues with this, saying it’s woefully misleading.

    “The statement fails to explain any disqualification criteria, leading consumers to believe that Uber eliminates drivers who have any kind of criminal convictions. The lack of any specific time limits in the statement also amplifies the impression that Uber’s background checks go as far back as legally possible,” they say in the amended complaint.

    “Systemic failures in Uber’s background check process came to light through the
    discovery process in this enforcement action, including the fact that in Los Angeles alone, registered sex offenders, a kidnapper, identity thieves, burglars, and a convicted murderer had passed Uber’s ‘industry leading’ background check.”

    The cities claim that Uber’s background checks are not as effective as the fingerprint-based ones used by traditional taxi companies.

    “Uber’s representations concerning the quality of its background check process are untrue or misleading. Contrary to Uber’s multiple representations concerning the superiority of its background check process, including but not limited to representations that it uses a background check process that “leads the industry,” and that its background check process is ‘often more rigorous than what is required to become a taxi driver,’ Uber’s background check process does not provide the level of security provided by the fingerprint-based background check process employed for performing background checks on taxi drivers in California’s most populous cities.”

    According to the New York Times, one person Uber let through was a man convicted of murder in 1982. He was paroled in 2008 and got a job driving for Uber using an assumed name.

    More from the Times:

    One driver was convicted of felony sexual exploitation of children in Wyoming in 2005, and another of “felony kidnapping for ransom with a firearm” in 1994. Other drivers were convicted of charges like robbery, assault with a firearm, identity theft and driving under the influence. Several were convicted of more minor charges, like welfare fraud.

    San Francisco DA George Gascón says this is “really only scratching the surface.”

    The original complaint lays out a sharply-worded rebuke of Uber’s entire business model:

    “Uber’s business model depends upon convincing its customers it is safe to get into a stranger’s car despite its admission in its terms and conditions through at least April 7, 2015, that its customers ‘may be exposed to situations involving third party providers that are potentially unsafe, offensive, harmful to minors, or otherwise objectionable,’” reads the complaint.

    “In a successful effort to do so, Uber makes a number of representations on its webpages, in communications with customers, and in the media designed to create the impression that Uber does everything it can to ensure its customers’ safety. The representations about safety contain true statements, false statements of fact, and statements that are misleading, either on their own, or when viewed in the context of the rest of Uber’s safety representations.

    “Uber’s false and misleading statements are so woven into the fabric of Uber’s safety narrative that they render Uber’s entire safety message misleading. Viewed separately or together, the representations are likely to mislead consumers into believing that Uber does everything it can to ensure their safety and that Uber’s background check process will capture all of the criminal history of an applicant that would result in that person being disqualified from driving a for-hire vehicle, whether under the criteria from Uber’s regulator imposed by law, or under Uber’s own disqualification criteria, or under the most stringent criteria applied by taxi regulators in any city.”

    Earlier this month a Dallas woman sued Uber for over $1 million, claiming Uber was negligent when they let a driver with a criminal record slip through the cracks. She says he drove her home, followed her inside, hit her in the back of the head, and raped her.

    Image via Uber

  • Uber Dodges Lawsuit Filed by State Taxi Companies

    Uber Dodges Lawsuit Filed by State Taxi Companies

    Uber is, has, and will continue to face lawsuits in states across the country and countries across the world. Traditional taxi companies are less than thrilled with Uber (and other on-demand ride companies) over its business model – mainly the one that allows Uber drivers to operate without obtaining the same sort of permits as they do.

    One such lawsuit has gone in Uber’s favor.

    Earlier this year, 15 cab companies in Connecticut sued Uber in an attempt to block it from operating in the state. The cab companies also sued rival Lyft.

    Now, a US District judge has dismissed the lawsuit

    It’s a big win for Uber. From Reuters:

    U.S. District Judge Alvin Thompson in Hartford said the plaintiffs failed to show that Uber competed unfairly, tried to lure away their drivers, or misrepresented its services, fares and drivers’ insurance coverage to passengers.

     

    The judge also rejected the plaintiffs’ argument that Uber should follow the same licensing and safety regulations that they are required by law to observe.

     

    He said this was because it was only recently that Connecticut’s legislature even asked the state’s Department of Transportation to consider whether Uber should be covered.

    Uber’s argument in the lawsuit is that it’s merely a technology company, which owns no cars and employs no drivers. It’s just an app that allows those who need a ride to connect to those who wish to provide one.

    It’s the same argument Uber makes in disputes over whether its drivers are employees or contractors.

    “Because they are not regulated as we are, their cars are not properly inspected regularly to ensure they are maintained in safe operating condition. Their drivers have very little training, if any, do not possess the certification and driver’s licenses ours must have, nor are they subject to the rigorous criminal background checks we perform on our drivers,” said the lead plaintiff in the Connecticut case.

    Uber is pleased with the ruling, saying it allows the people of Connecticut to continue to receive the “economic and transportation benefits” its service provides.

  • Uber Sued for $1M in Dallas Rape Case Involving Driver with Criminal Record

    Uber Sued for $1M in Dallas Rape Case Involving Driver with Criminal Record

    Uber is facing yet another lawsuit – this time from a Dallas woman who says she was raped by one of the company’s drivers last month.

    We recently reported on the case, in which Uber driver Talal Ali Chammout allegedly drove a woman to her Dallas home, followed her inside, hit her in the back of the head, and raped her. Chammout has a criminal record, and served time in prison on federal weapons charges. He was just released in 2012.

    On top of that, Chammout didn’t even have a valid permit.The city of Dallas said it never would’ve allowed Chammout behind the wheel – but somehow Uber did.

    Uber called it a “mistake” and said it was a “terrible situation.”

    Now, the woman who was attacked is suing Uber for “more than $1 million” to cover medical expenses and damages, according to the Dallas Morning News. The lawsuit claims Uber was negligent when it let Chammout slips through the cracks of its background checks.

    “Uber’s actions were akin to letting a tiger loose in a shopping mall. After Uber began pairing Chammout with unsuspecting women, the question was not whether Chammout would strike, but when and against whom,” reads the lawsuit.

    As you’re likely well aware, Uber has had to deal with a plethora of incidents over the years – many of them incredibly violent. Since Uber began to spread across the country and around the world, its drivers have been accused of beating, raping, and stealing from passengers. This has led many to question the company’s background checks.

    Uber calls its background screening “rigorous,” saying “all Uber ridesharing and livery partners must go through a rigorous background check. The three-step screening we’ve developed across the United States, which includes county, federal and multi-state checks, has set a new standard. These checks go back 7 years, the maximum allowable by the Fair Credit Reporting Act. We apply this comprehensive and new industry standard consistently across all Uber products, including uberX.”

    Earlier this week, a South Carolina woman said a 39-year-old sixth-grade social studies teacher moonlighting as an Uber driver sexually assaulted her.

    Image via Uber

  • Uber Driver Accused of Rape Had Criminal Record, Used Phony Permit

    Once again, Uber is under fire for allegedly letting a rapist slip through the cracks.

    On July 25th, Uber driver Talal Ali Chammout allegedly drove a woman to her Dallas home, followed her inside, and raped her.

    Chammout has a criminal record, and served time in prison on federal weapons charges. He was just released in 2012.

    And according to a Dallas city spokesperson, Chammout didn’t even have a valid permit.

    So, why was he driving for Uber?

    “We can say with 100 percent certainty that Chammout was not permitted to be a driver in the city of Dallas,” the city spokesperson said. She also said that Dallas allows Uber to use its databases to help verify drivers, but it’s unclear if Uber did so in the case of Chammout.

    And Uber spokesperson called it a “terrible situation” and said the company is “conducting a thorough internal review and working with local officials to gather and sort through all the facts.”

    As you’re likely well aware, Uber has had to deal with a plethora of incidents over the years – many of them incredibly violent. Since Uber began to spread across the country and around the world, its drivers have been accused of beating, raping, and stealing from passengers.

    This has led many to question the company’s background checks. Just who is slipping through the cracks, so to say?

    Earlier this year, a Houston Uber driver accused of raping a passenger was found to have spent 14 years in prison.

    “Either this driver slipped past Uber’s criminal background check or Uber did discover his criminal history and decided it was OK to let him drive. Regardless, this case illustrates how trusting Uber to conduct its own criminal background checks amounts to allowing the company to decide whether or not to put this individual behind the wheel. Houston would not have allowed this now alleged rapist to drive. Uber did,” said Dave Sutton, spokesperson for watchdog group ‘Who’s Driving You?’ at the time of that incident.

    And that appears to ring true of this latest case. The city of Dallas is saying it never would’ve allowed Chammout behind the wheel – but somehow Uber did.

    Uber calls its background screening “rigorous,” saying “all Uber ridesharing and livery partners must go through a rigorous background check. The three-step screening we’ve developed across the United States, which includes county, federal and multi-state checks, has set a new standard. These checks go back 7 years, the maximum allowable by the Fair Credit Reporting Act. We apply this comprehensive and new industry standard consistently across all Uber products, including uberX.

    Uber and the city of Dallas are apparently working together to figure out exactly what happened. Chammout is in Dallas County jail in lieu of $100,000 bail.

  • We Get It, You Hate Uber. Now, Please Act Like Human Beings.

    We get it, you hate Uber.

    To you, Uber is encroaching on your way of life. It’s taking money out of your pockets. Who does Uber think it is, coming in and rewriting the rules for what it means to take people from point A to point B. It’s skirting local laws and operating in a manner that can best be described as ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

    Of course, I’m talking to traditional taxi drivers, who have long been pissed at Uber, Lyft, and any on-demand ride platform that dare show its face in their city. If I were a taxi driver, I’d hate Uber too. For many people, myself included, taking a taxi hasn’t even entered their mind as a legitimate option since Uber came around.

    But here’s the thing. You’re not going to endear yourselves to anyone by pulling this shit:

    What you just watched was a bunch of taxi drivers in Mexico City showing why you, a person looking for a safe, non-violent ride, would want to get in a car with them.

    The mob shattered windshields and bombarded Uber drivers’ cars with eggs and flour. Apparently, some of the drivers even suffered minor injuries.

    “What happened is a very grave attack on everyone’s freedom and right to make a living in a dignified manner,” Uber said in a statement to VICE. “Incidents like this are completely unacceptable and we trust that authorities will act so that justice is done.”

    Mexico City has been the site of many an Uber protest. And it’s far from the only city where Uber protests have turned violent.

    Luckily, things haven’t turned violent in the States – but it’s not as if there’s a dearth of animosity for Uber in cities across America.

    Look, once again, we get it. How could taxi drivers hate anything more than Uber? Not only is Uber directly affecting their livelihood, but Uber isn’t exactly hard to hate.

    But come on, now. How the hell is smashing cars supposed to help anything? Maybe you should spend that time, I dunno, figuring out why everyone would rather Uber than set foot inside your cab.

  • Starbucks Offers Rewards Points to Lyft Riders and Drivers

    Starbucks Offers Rewards Points to Lyft Riders and Drivers

    Starbucks and Lyft have just announced a partnership that will see both riders and drivers earning rewards points for using Lyft.

    There are basically four major aspects of the partnership. First, My Starbucks Rewards members will earn stars (reward points) for taking Lyft rides. Second, Lyft drivers will be given the option to become My Starbucks Rewards loyalty program gold status members, and then earn reward points as well.

    Third, the Lyft app is going to add a custom option to gift your driver a cup of coffee (via a Starbucks eGift card). And last, “Starbucks and Lyft will explore the possibilities of bringing a convenient and cost effective transportation benefit to Starbucks partners in one test market to understand partners’ interest and determine its long-term viability.”

    There aren’t too many specifics to add on for that last point. Lyft says it will “provide Starbucks Baristas with free Lyft rides to and from work, when they need it most.”

    “With Lyft’s presence in 65 cities across the U.S., where we also have Starbucks serving the same communities, we knew this relationship would benefit our partners, Lyft’s drivers as well as our mutual customers who are already coming to Starbucks and using Lyft services,” said Adam Brotman, chief digital officer, Starbucks. “This is a great win win. Our digital loyalty ecosystem will strengthen Lyft’s ability to attract and retain customers in a highly profitable way, while at the same time accelerating the incrementality of redemption of rewards.”

    Starbucks doesn’t just like Lyft, and this isn’t an Uber slight. Starbucks and Uber have partnered before.

  • Uber, de Blasio Strike Deal That Ends Plan for Driver Cap

    Uber, de Blasio Strike Deal That Ends Plan for Driver Cap

    The war is long from over, but it looks like at least one battle between Uber and the Bill de Blasio administration has reached a ceasefire. For now.

    Just days before the New York City Council was set to vote on a proposal that would cap Uber, putting a freeze on new drivers, the two have reached an agreement of sorts.

    According to the New York Times, de Blasio and the City Council have nixed plans to cap the number of new Uber drivers while a four-month study on the effects of Uber and other on-demand car service companies was conducted. The study will still take place, but new Uber hires will not be blocked during its duration.

    A City Council proposal had originally called for Uber’s growth to be halted in the city until the study on traffic and the environment could be completed. De Blasio quickly threw his weight behind it.

    Uber always maintained that the move was “less about traffic congestion” and more about “political contributions.”

    The fight between companies like Uber and Lyft and the New York Taxi and Limousine Commission goes all the back to their first days of operation in the city. The yellow-cab industry has been adamant about its opposition to Uber, a company that’s become the number one greatest threat to NYC’s cab industry. De Blasio counts the yellow cab industry among his biggest campaign donors.

    Uber pulled out all the stops to fight the Council and de Blasio. Just last week, Uber pretty much trolled the hell out of the mayor by adding a “de Blasio” ride option inside its app.

    It wasn’t a real ride option, of course, just a way for Uber to show how long it would take to get a ride if de Blasio’s Uber freeze went into effect.

    The company started an online petition as well.

    “New York overall would not see reduction in congestion from capping for-hire vehicles using Uber but instead would halt progress made through technological innovation over the past few years. Uber’s technology has helped expand service to those who were previously underserved, providing a safe and reliable transportation option to all New Yorkers while looking to a future with fewer cars on the roads — not more,” said Uber.

    This debate brought out Uber’s friends in high places, as well.

    New York Governor Andrew Cuomo also took issue with de Blasio’s Uber freeze.

    The agreement between Uber and the Council requires Uber to give up some data it’s been holding onto for the study, and a spokesperson for de Blasio said that “Uber must adhere to the agreement … otherwise the cap gets put back on the table.”