TLCMKT News (10.26.20): TLC Driver Speaks Out After Being Pepper Sprayed, Uber Fires Drivers Based On 'Racially Biased' Star Rating System, Prop 22 Could Take Toll on Asian Drivers in San Francisco

Select TLCMKT news headlines for Monday, October 26th 2020

Cab Driver Who Was Pepper-Sprayed, Pulled From Vehicle Calls For More Enforcement In NYC (CBS NY)

• TLC driver M.D. Luthfur Rahman on Sunday described the terrifying ordeal and called for more NYPD enforcement.

  “We need more support from NYPD, more support from city. We are really scared about this job because we are doing it ourselves. Nobody was with me and nobody is with us.” - TLC driver M.D. Luthfur Rahman

• The teen suspect accused of stealing Rahman’s car wound up crashing before being chased down by members of a nearby mosque.

• Link to story

Uber Fires Drivers Based On 'Racially Biased' Star Rating System, Lawsuit Claims (NPR)

• A former Uber driver in San Diego sued the ride-hailing company on Monday for racial discrimination in how it uses passengers' reviews to evaluate drivers.

• In the suit, plaintiff Thomas Liu is described as Asian, from Hawaii and speaking with a slight accent. He claims he was fired in October 2015 after his average star rating fell below 4.6.

• Link to story

Photo Credit: Martin van den Heuvel

Calif. Uber, Lyft measure could take toll on Asians, who are 1 in 3 drivers in Bay Area (NBC)

• A former Uber driver in San Diego sued the ride-hailing company on Monday for racial discrimination in how it uses passengers' reviews to evaluate drivers.

• Nonwhite Californians account for 78% of San Francisco’s rideshare and delivery workforce, according to a state-commissioned study. Of nearly 650 people surveyed in the city, more than half are immigrants and one-third are Asian.

• In California, about 1 in 10 Asian American and Pacific Islanders work for on-demand app services.

  “A lot of immigrant drivers just do whatever the company wants because we feel like we can’t do anything about it…I don’t want anyone else to go through the same thing I went through.” - Saori Okawa, San Francisco-based rideshare driver

• Link to story

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The TLCMKT Newsletter is written by Dawood Mian, Founder & CEO of TLCMKT. I cover the NYC ridehailing industry and related news. Search TLCMKT for TLC cars, parts, service, accessories, professional services, reviews & more. Find great deals at TLCMKT.COM.