Many know the strength of social media and journalists that are active on these social network sites, but are they beginning to leave negative effects on businesses or just exposing the negatives these businesses face and leave them to fix it or fall on its own? Uber is a ridesharing service, headquartered in San Francisco, United States, that operates in multiple international cities. The company uses a smartphone application to arrange rides between riders and drivers and has advanced tremendously since its start in 2009. All over the United States of America, and even some parts of the world, Uber has been the new tech savvy way to transport to different areas at a reasonable price. But as the years go by, there has been many faults and negatives that have slowly come to light through the use of journalism through social media that might be the fall of Uber.
Twitter and journalists have exposed the exploitation that Uber has partaken in to help better themselves at the risk of their drivers. “When the company first began, drivers could make about $15-20 per hour. Today, most barely make minimum wage because the company keeps dropping fares to keep up with competitors. Drivers also do not receive any financial support from Uber; for example, to pay for car insurance or if their car is broken, thus preventing them from doing their job.” (inthesetimes.com) On October an Uber driver, Christopher Ortiz, was fired from Uber because he spoke negatively against the company as they have faced several complaints against their exploitation attempts in order to better their company against their competitor Lyft Drivers all while keeping their own billion dollar company with their million dollar salary.
Besides the driver complaints, many passengers have complained as well about the maltreatment from the drivers because they “technically do not work under anyone”. Drivers have shown up late, over charged them and sometimes refuse to take them to their desired destination until they have received their full payments. There was even a case of sexual abuse in India as a female passenger was raped by the driver and everything was swept under. As a result Uber has been banned in Delhi, India due to many negativities that came with the company. “Police personnel escort taxi driver (wearing mask), accused of raping a female finance company executive, as he is taken to court in New Delhi, 08 December 2014. Uber, which is growing in popularity in India, has been accused of failing to conduct adequate checks on its drivers."(The) Transport Department has banned all activities relating to providing any transport service by the www.Uber.com with immediate effect," news agency AFP reported, quoting from a government statement. The ban means any Uber taxi in Delhi will now attract a fine or even be impounded, officials say.The company is still accepting bookings on its app and it is not yet clear how the ban will be enforced since Uber taxis do not carry any visible branding. Before the ban was announced, Uber described the incident as "horrific" and said it would do everything "to help bring this perpetrator to justice".” (bbc.com)
Despite the fact that not all companies are perfect. Action must be taken to help ease the issues these new tech companies are facing. Otherwise many believe that now is not the time for these companies to debut themselves.