Uber’s ‘Dirty Little Secret’: Shared Driver Accounts LONDON—This city’s decision to revoke Uber Technologies Inc. operating license opens a window into what drivers say has been a relatively common practice of sharing or renting out driver accounts at a number of ride-hailing apps.
Transport for London, the city’s main transportation regulator, said earlier this week it determined 14,000 Uber rides in late 2018 and early 2019 weren’t conducted by authorized drivers, but by others who had been able to substitute their photos to use a real driver’s account. Several drivers for Uber and other ride-hailing apps, in London and elsewhere, say the practice of account sharing is an open secret, discussed in private groups on social media or on messaging apps used by drivers. Uber says account sharing is an issue globally, including in the U.S. Jay Johnson of Brandon, Fla., who has been an Uber driver for about six years, said other drivers told him a few times that they shared their accounts with relatives. He occasionally socializes with other drivers at Tampa International Airport, where the topic comes up. His passengers also described getting into cars with Uber drivers who didn’t look anything like the photos on the Uber app. “It’s not unusual,” said Mr. Johnson, 52 years old. ... https://www.wsj.com/articles/ubers-dirty-little-secret-shared-driver-accounts-11574883278 _______________________________________________ Medianews mailing list Medianews@etskywarn.net http://etskywarn.net/mailman/listinfo/medianews_etskywarn.net
