Uber's new driver features could mean more destination discrimination

Back before Uber and Lyft ride-sharing (yes, there was a time!), hailing a regular cab didn't always guarantee a ride. In San Francisco, for instance, drivers would often deny passengers rides to neighborhoods on the far west side of the city, or across the Bay, or Golden Gate Bridge. Then Uber and Lyft came along, and drivers were none the wiser as to where you were headed until they'd already accepted the ride and you were in the backseat. Oakland here we come!

But changes to the Uber driver app, introduced this week for California drivers, would let drivers officially reject ride requests. Eventually, all California drivers will see trip information including destination, estimated ride time and mileage, ride type, and potential earnings range. At the moment, only about a third of drivers in the state have the new feature. By mid-January, every driver will be able to see destination information. Riders, however, won't actually know if a potential ride match was denied because it'll happen before a driver accepts a ride. But even though that will all happen behind the scenes, riders could still be left waiting for a ride match to an "undesirable" destination, like a faraway place or inconvenient airport drop-off. Read more...

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