Geovanie Rosario signed the lease because it was easy. Tower Auto Mall came recommended by Uber, as one of four dealers the ride-hailing company partnered with in New York City to offer “flexible and affordable” rentals and lease-to-own contracts to drivers.
Rosario went to see Tower one morning in May 2016 and started driving a black Lincoln MKS, New York City’s standard car-service vehicle, a week later. His contract included a $3,000 service fee and weekly payments of $495 for 159 weeks, or just over three years. Tower would take the payments directly out of his Uber earnings every Monday.
Rosario had quit his position as an assistant manager at Rent-A-Center, a job with benefits and a 401(k), to drive for Uber in March 2015. Rent-A-Center paid $12.25 an hour, and, based on Uber’s ads, he figured he could double that by becoming a driver. He had tried a couple of car rental options and, by the time he went to Tower, felt confident he could make enough to come out ahead.
But a month into his lease Rosario fell ill with pneumonia. He tried to keep driving, worried his payments would pile up, but he couldn’t control his cough. With no health insurance, it was hard to get treated, and what little money he did make went straight to his lease.
It was late June when Rosario felt well enough to start working full-time again. By then he was $1,800 in debt. When he tried to start up the Lincoln, its alarm sounded.
“That’s when I realized they’d turned the car off,” Rosario said. He called Tower to ask why the dealer had remotely deactivated his vehicle. “They said, ‘You have to make a payment.’”
http://bit.ly/2u0QkcO
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A pedestrian has died after being hit by a taxi in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire Police said.
Emergency services were called after the crash, at 00:04 BST on Wednesday, on the A425 at the junction with Old Warwick Road.
Police said the silver Renault taxi van had been travelling along High Street towards the railway station.
West Midlands Ambulance Service said the man, 32, had been trapped beneath the vehicle with very serious injuries.
He was pronounced dead at the scene
The taxi driver has been questioned by police.
Sgt Jem Mountford said: "We would like to speak to anyone who may have witnessed what happened, or who may have seen the man prior to the incident.
"Our thoughts are with his family."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-coventry-warwickshire-40429132
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