UBER UPDATE INTL
RACIAL BIAS IN PRICING ALGORITHMS OF UBER AND LYFT
The algorithms used to determine the fares of ride-hailing companies such as Uber and Lyft, ap- pear to be racially biased. Transport and cen- sus data in Chicago, was analysed by Aylin Caliskan and Akshat Pandey at The George Wash- ington University in Washington DC. The researchers studied data from more than 100 million trips between November 2018 and December 2019. Each ride contained information including pick-up and drop-off location, duration, cost and whether the ride was an individual or shared trip. The data didn’t include demographic details such as the ethnicity of the rider. In that period, 68 million trips were made by individual riders, and the majority of these used Uber. The duo compared the trip data against information from the US Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, which provides aggregate statistics about neighbourhoods, including popula- tion, ethnicity breakdown, education levels and median house prices. They found that ride-hailing companies charge a higher price per mile for a trip if the pick-up point or destination was in a neigh- bourhood with a lower proportion of white residents, a lower median house price, or lower average educational attainment. Caliskan said: “Basically, if you’re going to a neighbourhood where there’s a large African-American population, you’re going to pay a higher fare price for your ride.” The dynamic fares of ride-hailing services are calculated based on factors including the length of the trip as well as local demand – although it is unclear what other factors these algorithms take into consideration because the companies don’t make all of their data available. But the researchers found no statistical link to suggest that neighbourhoods with higher proportions of ethnic minorities had higher demand for rides, which could potentially explain the higher fare prices. “Uber does not condone discrimination on our platform in any form, whether through algorithms or decisions made by our users,” said an Uber spokesperson. “It’s important not toequate correlation for causation and there may be a number of relevant factors that weren’t taken into account for this analysis, such as correlations with land- use/neighbourhood patterns, trip purposes, time of day, and other effects.” “The study’s findings are problematic”, Caliskan said. “Even though these algorithms are supposed to be fair and they are not using protected attributes, they seem to have a significant impact on these neighbourhoods.” Noel Sharkey at the University of Sheffield, added: “This study shows how algorithmic bias by postcode and race can creep into even the most unexpected places. It is yet another example in a long list of how ethnicity and race bias has found a new home in computer software. There is no excuse for automation biases and such systems should be shut down until such time as they can demonstrate fairness and equality.”
JULY 2020
TOYOTA HOLDS A £235 MILLION STAKE IN UBER
Toyota's latest corporate governance
report,
released on 24 June, shows that the Japanese company holds a £235 million stake in Uber. The partnership with the ride- hailing company provides a means of expanding further into new mobility services. The
report further
revealed that the automotive manufacturer has sold shares in some of its suppliers, thus adjusting its portfolio to include partnerships with rival automakers and technology firms as it transforms into a mobility services company. Shareholdings have been reduced in 24 companies and increased in ten, including two listed companies. Toyota said it now holds 10.25 million shares in Uber, valued at 31.15 billion yen (£235 million) as of March 30. This equates to around 0.6% of Uber's outstanding shares, according to a Reuters. In the past year, Toyota took a stake in Suzuki as the companies work together on developing lower emission vehicles. "If Toyota determines a shareholding is no longer meaningful or the meaning of a shareholding has been diluted due to changes in busi- ness environment or other reasons, (it) will proceed with the sale of such shares," the automaker said in the report.
UBER LAUNCHES HOURLY RENTAL CABS IN INDIA FOR MULTI-STOP NEEDS
On Monday 8 June Uber launched Hourly Rentals in India, a 24x7 on-demand, intra-city service, which allows riders to retain a car with its driver for several hours, and make multiple stops on their journey. LiveMint
reports that
through the new service, Uber aims to provide rid- ers the convenience they would get with their own car starting at a price point of 189 rupees (£2) for a one-hour/ ten km package, it said in a statement. Riders will have the option to select from multiple hourly packages, up to amaximumof 12 hours. The service is available in 17 Indian cities including Delhi, and Kolkata.
AND FINALLY.... UBER AXES 138 JOBS IN LIMERICK
Up to 138 jobs are going at Uber in Limerick. The ride-hailing service employs around 500 people at its European centre in the city. The company announced last month it plans tocut nearly 4,000 jobs worldwide. The jobs are set to go from June 29.
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