Uber fined $966M in NL for automating driver suspensions

So it says that some drivers took "unnecessary detours to inflate fares". What is the policy of Uber, and Lyft, on detours and extra mileage beyond the pre-confirmed route?

Obviously, on classical taxis, the in-car meter is metering the mileage. So if a driver "mistakenly" takes you off-course and goes a roundabout way, they can charge more for actual mileage driven. But, for example, when hailing a Waymo ride, the price is the price. You agree in advance, and Waymo explicitly says that if the car must travel further, you are not charged more for that "actual mileage" vs. projected mileage.

So, if I hail an Uber in the app, and there is an "agreed price", are they telling us that that price could change, subject to "actual mileage"? Is this a deviation in how Uber works in other markets outside the U.S?

One of the best things about Uber and Lyft, an extremely germane selling point, is how strict they can be on the parameters for drivers. The drivers have told me that they are constantly monitored for many things, and if the driver deviated from course, or noticeably broke the speed limit or any traffic laws, they'd have a disciplinary problem as soon as they dropped me off. So, while I understand the position of the E.U. that they want humans in-the-loop, the revolution of rideshare apps is that they can bring down the banhammer on bad drivers. Let them appeal later and have a human review it. But what do you want? A bad driver waiting on a human decision, or a bad driver removed from traffic post-haste?

Great to see European regulations have some teeth. With the New Mexico child safety lawsuit against Meta maybe we'll see some of that in the US too.

Reminds of this HN classic, with gratitude to the author for recounting: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17694032

Wow, crazy fine -- they say only 126 drivers were affected. If true that's almost $8M per driver.