Transportation regulators investigate 2 incidents involving Uber drivers

Transportation regulators are looking into two incidents involving Uber drivers that have prompted the company's critics to say, "I told you so."

The Nevada Taxicab Authority investigated a rear-end collision of a car driven by an Uber driver into the back of a Yellow Cab taxi last week.

In a separate unrelated incident, Nevada Transportation Authority officers impounded the car of an Uber driver after he allegedly attempted to offer a ride while not on the Uber platform -- which not only is illegal, but prevents Uber from getting its cut of the fare.

The traffic accident may have been a routine incident had it not been for the actions of the driver after it occurred, but it also called attention to frustrations the public could encounter if a motorist is ever in an accident with a transportation network company driver.

According to Jonathan Schwartz, a director with Yellow Checker Star Cab, the traffic accident occurred Sept. 27 when the Yellow Cab was traveling north on Koval Lane, south of Harmon Avenue near the entrance to the Wyndham time-share property.

Schwartz said the driver reported the Uber car, which had no passengers, collided with the cab, which had two passengers aboard. No one was seriously hurt in the accident.

The cab driver knew the car was being operated by a contracted Uber driver because Uber vehicles are required to have trade dress displayed on the windshield. Typically, Uber and Lyft drivers have plastic sleeves mounted on the windshield glass so that a driver can display a logo when on the network platform.

Traffic accidents involving taxis are routinely investigated by the Nevada Taxicab Authority, whose officers make a determination whether a damaged cab needs to be removed from service.

While the vehicles were waiting for the officer to arrive, the Uber driver reportedly removed the trade dress from the sleeve.

Schwartz said that seemed to be a suspicious move and reported it to the Nevada Transportation Authority, which Schwartz said couldn't give him information about the Uber car due to it being proprietary information.

"I don't know why he would have done that," Schwartz said. "Maybe it was because of some insurance issue, maybe the driver was working off the platform. Maybe he was trying to influence surge pricing It just seemed unusual to me."

Schwartz also said it took several hours to contact any Uber officials to get insurance information on the car.

"Because we're in the taxi business, we know who Uber is and what they do," Schwartz said. "But imagine if somebody in the public was in an accident. It could be impossible for them to get the information they need."

A spokeswoman for Uber confirmed that the driver, who wasn't identified, was on the platform when the accident occurred.

Kayla Whaling said the driver made it clear that he was contracted with Uber after the accident and the incident was immediately reported to the company's claims office.

Whaling said Uber drivers in accidents are instructed to provide information to other motorists in an accident, including a card that has the telephone number to the claims department.

"The incident has been resolved," Whaling said. "All the information was exchanged."

She did not have any additional details on why the driver removed the Uber trade dress from the windshield sleeve, but acknowledged he may have done so because in the time he was parked following the accident he couldn't accept a ride and took himself off the platform.

The other incident involving the driver working off the platform occurred Friday.

A Nevada Transportation Authority official said while officers were on patrol at a local casino, a person identifying himself as an Uber driver solicited a plainclothes officer for a ride.

The officer asked if he needed to have the Uber app on his phone and the driver replied, no, that he would take him wherever he wanted to go for $20.

The officer then apprehended the driver and impounded the vehicle. A hearing is scheduled Tuesday before a Transportation Authority hearing officer.

The problem of drivers working off the app or drivers impersonating Uber and Lyft drivers was discussed by legislators when they debated legislation making it legal for transportation network companies to operate in the state. Company officials assured lawmakers that they would do what they could to prevent those incidents from occurring and that they would be as aggressive as the regulators to find them.

Transportation network company critics testified that there would be numerous problems with insurance issues and people working off the platform unless other safeguard were written into legislation.

Whaling said the accused driver already has been removed from the Uber platform.

"We take any violation of NTA (Nevada Transportation Authority) regulations very seriously, which is why we deactivated the driver pending the hearing," she said.

Meanwhile, a federal judge in New York ruled last week that the seizure of a vehicle by the government is unconstitutional because it violates an individual's due process rights.

Contact reporter Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Find him on Twitter: @RickVelotta