A former Uber employee said the "safe driving fees" were the theft that was still suspected

During its 10 years of existence, Uber has been the subject of numerous public scandals, ranging from sexual harassment in the workplace to personal data, strikes and the myriads of people. other controversies. But thanks to a forthcoming book on the besieged society, employees had the chance to remember one of those that may not be remembered by some – the Safe Rides Fee.

This public relations fiasco, linked to a policy initially announced by the company in 2014, resurfaced this week thanks to an article adapted from Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber, a forthcoming book by Mike Isaac, a New York Times reporter, who spoke with employees who worked on the project.

"We increased our margins by saying that our rides were safer," said Isaac the first one last year while he was researching his book. "It was obscene."

At the time, and following a wave of complaints from customers about this service, Uber had stated that it would rely on a $ 1 Safe Rides Rate fare for uberX rates. The charges, declared by the company in a blog post that has since disappeared from its website, would cover the costs associated with ongoing efforts to improve the security of its services, including "an unparalleled background check procedure in the area." industry, regular checks of the motor vehicle, driver safety ". education, current and future development of security functions in the application and insurance. "

This small "fee" for "security" – which, according to Bloomberg, has reached $ 2.50 in some areas in the past – would have generated close to half a billion dollars for the company. However, a class action suit against Uber later alleged that, despite the charges against its riders, "Uber's background checks and security procedures are woefully inadequate and do not meet what is required by other commercial transport service providers ".

A spokesman for Uber did not immediately return a request for comment on the Times report. However, the company finally reached a settlement of about $ 30 million on Uber's security claims. But think, so all the shit has happened. It's almost as if technology companies learn almost nothing every time they're caught off guard.

This fiasco is only a drop of water in a very big bucket full of controversy over Uber, and an important reminder that Uber was – and continues to be – exactly as much as you suppose it.