Uber Technologies, Inc.

The income figures, and the actual ones

Uber’s website claimed uberX drivers’ annual median income was more than $90,000 in New York and over $74,000 in San Francisco.

According to the FTC’s complaint, the real annual median was $61,000 in New York and $53,000 in San Francisco. In both cities, fewer than 10 percent of all drivers earned the figure Uber advertised.

A median is the specific claim that matters here, because it implies a typical driver rather than a top performer. The company also made high hourly earnings claims in job listings, including on Craigslist, that the typical driver did not reach in various cities.

The vehicle financing

Uber’s Vehicle Solutions Program was promoted as offering the “best financing options available” regardless of credit history. Drivers were told they could “own a car for as little as $20/day” ($140/week) or lease with “payments as low as $17 per day” ($119/week).

From at least late 2013 through April 2015, the FTC alleges, the median weekly purchase payment exceeded $160 and the median lease payment exceeded $200.

Uber did not control or monitor the terms of the financing agreements arranged through its program, and its drivers received worse rates on average than consumers with similar credit scores would typically obtain. Leases advertised as unlimited mileage in fact carried mileage limits.

The order

A $20 million judgment, used to refund affected drivers. Uber is barred from misrepresenting drivers’ earnings, and from false, misleading or unsubstantiated claims about driver income, about programs offering vehicles or vehicle financing, and about the terms of any financing or lease.

The Commission vote was 2-1, with Commissioner Ohlhausen dissenting.

What is not established

A stipulated final order resolves the allegations without any admission or finding of wrongdoing.