The California Employment Development Department has determined that a former Uber driver in Southern California was an employee and not a contractor.
Advertisement
About one hour after the lawsuit was filed Tuesday afternoon, Reynolds ordered the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to respond by September 28.
That puts the taxi drivers at an economic disadvantage, alleges the lawsuit, filed by Tallahassee lawyers Steven Andrews; his son, Ryan Andrews, and Brian Finnerty.
Hail away, Uber-loving New Yorkers.
In a 96-page lawsuit, the plaintiffs say “they both are necessary to compute the time and distance associated with a commercial passenger trip taken in a taxicab or a private auto utilized by a [ride-sharing company] driver, in order to determine the customer’s fare”.
This is the second such lawsuit filed this week in the 2nd Judicial Circuit. Without it, he says people could face the same struggle as a Brooklyn woman who was charged $12,000 for what Andrews says was about a 7 mile ride.
Similar lawsuits have been successful in other states, including California, and lawyers for the cab companies say they’re confident Florida’s laws are broad enough to include apps and Global Positioning System tracking in the realm of technology that should be tested by the state.
“However, one is tested and certified by the Department of Agriculture and the other is not”. A company spokesman declined to comment on the Florida lawsuit.
The concern is Uber and Lyft drivers aren’t now providing the county with documentation proving they’ve undergone background checks.
“The measures that Uber uses fall squarely within the definition of the statute”, he said. Earlier this summer, San Francisco-based Uber set up a web page to gather signatures from riders and supporters in an attempt to get the Legislature to consider ride-sharing issues during a June special session on the budget. The move came despite months of lobbying by taxi drivers angry that Uber drivers were operating in town without the same licensing and insurance requirements as local cabs.
Advertisement
The stance is noteworthy, as Scott has rarely remarked upon pending legislation in recent years, preferring to harp on his typical agenda of increased education funding and tax cuts while saying he’ll review any bill that reaches his desk. Justice Allan Weiss of the Queens Supreme Court issued a ruling Wednesday making it legal for companies to compete with yellow cabs using apps and electronic devices. Instead, the board chose to end its regulation of all vehicles-for-hire, including traditional taxi services.
