February 12, 2016 - 09:05 AMT
Uber to pay $28.5mln to settle two class-action lawsuits

Uber says it will pay $28.5 million to settle two lawsuits that said the ride-hailing firm misled customers about its safety procedures and fees.

The company on Thursday, Feb 11, told a federal judge in San Francisco that it wants to settle the class-action lawsuits by paying about 25 million riders who made trips between Jan 1, 2013, and Jan 31, 2016.

The judge must still approve the deal.

The lawsuits attacked Uber for charging a fee of up to $2.30 per trip for what the ride-hailing firm called industry-leading background checks on drivers. In fact, Uber doesn't do the kind of fingerprint checks required of taxi drivers.

Under the settlement, Uber would stop using certain "safety-related" advertising language and would rename its "Safe Ride Fee" as a "Booking Fee."