Rideshare companies in California have been pushing back against classifying their drivers as employees for the past few years. As Uber and Lyft continue to fight the newly-enacted state law known as AB5, the California Public Utilities Commission ruled that it officially considers rideshare drivers to be employees.

The California Public Utilities Commission is responsible for licensing and regulating some transportation companies—including Uber and Lyft. For now, it’s unclear as to what practical difference this ruling makes because of rideshare companies’ resistance to reclassifying their workforce. It is clear, however, that many government agencies in California believe Uber and Lyft drivers should be classified as employees.

With the aging baby boomer population expected to increase the need for home care services by 50% in the next ten years, home health agencies are looking for new ways to serve their clients. Some service providers are considering helping clients manage their transportation needs through rideshare services.

According to HomeCare, there a number of important questions and risks home care agencies need to consider prior to utilizing companies like Lyft and Uber as part of their service delivery. Currently, the top three risks revolve around patient concerns, the potential for driving and information exposure, and insurance coverage.

The ACLU and Electronic Frontier Foundation have filed a lawsuit against Los Angeles, claiming e-scooter and bike riders should have the freedom to travel without being tracked. They believe the collection of location data is unconstitutional.

The Mobility Data Specification system, which was created by the Los Angeles Department of Transportation in 2018, is the subject of scrutiny. The system gathers an array of data on the use of shared mobility services, including scooters, bikes, mopeds, and carshares.

As the market and interest for autonomous vehicles continue to rise, there are often discussions regarding accident rates and how self-driving cars have the potential to reduce those numbers. Considering the majority of collisions are currently attributed to driver error, it’s a reasonable assumption that an autonomous vehicle could weed out problems like distractions, drunk driving, and more. A new study, however, predicts that the crash rates for self-driving vehicles will not be as low as we think.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), self-driving cars may only be able to prevent around one-third of all crashes: “According to a national survey of police-reported crashes, driver error is the final failure in the chain of events leading to more than 9 out of 10 crashes. But the Institute’s analysis suggests that only about a third of those crashes were the result of mistakes that automated vehicles would be expected to avoid simply because they have more accurate perception than human drivers and aren’t vulnerable to incapacitation.”

Earlier this week, we discussed Uber’s and Lyft’s plans to suspend operations in cities with curfews around the country amid protests, riots, and looting. Now, however, the rideshare companies are looking to provide services in those areas to reduce the continued risk of profit loss.

In some cities, officials have suspended Uber and Lyft operations during curfews, while others have requested the companies suspend operations on their own accord. While the companies originally planned to comply, Uber is now saying their shutdown will be contingent on Lyft shutting down operations first.