On Monday, Portland sued Uber; now, L.A. and San Francisco are joining in, too. The cites have sued the ride-hailing company on the grounds that it misleads consumers about their safety as well as overcharging them.


The L.A. Times reports that the San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon accused Uber of "making false and misleading statements about how it protects consumers and engaging in business practices that violate California law." Gascon is most alarmed by the way Uber claims to have an "industry-leading background check process" but, speaking the the L.A. times, he noted that the security checks that are in place are "completely worthless."


It's not just safety, either—its charges came under fire, too. Notably, it was criticized for charging a $4 "airport fee toll" even when drivers weren't paying the toll, as well as its $1 "safe rides fee" for background checks.

Los Angeles District Attorney Jackie Lacey added to the Times that "it's not our goal to shut them down. What we're saying is the advertising is false." Meanwhile, similar complaints levelled at Lyft were met with a settlement, while Uber doggedly decided to ride the incident through to the bitter end.

The civil suit probably won't halt Uber's operations in either city, but the company will be increasingly pressed to change it the messaging of its website and marketing materials. What next for Uber? [L.A. Times]

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