Between 2014 and 2016, the ride-hailing company Uber reportedly had a program called “Hell” to track drivers from its biggest competitor, Lyft.
According to a new report from The Information, Uber could track how many Lyft drivers were available to pick up passengers, and where they were— allowing Uber keeps tabs on Lyft so the company could maintain an edge over its rival. What’s more, according to the report, the program also showed Uber employees which drivers worked for both Uber and Lyft — information that it could then use to entice drivers away from Lyft.
“Hell” was created by the Uber’s competitive intelligence team, more commonly known as “COIN.” The Information, citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter, reported that only a few people knew of the program, including CEO Travis Kalanick.
Though the program — which was called “Hell” because it paralleled Uber’s “God View” mode that tracks its own drivers — was supposedly discontinued in 2016, lawyers consulted by TheInformation said that the revelation of this program could have serious legal repercussions for Uber — leaving the company open to both federal and state claims of “breach of contract” and “unfair business practices” by Lyft.
When contacted by The Information, a Lyft spokesperson said: “We are in a competitive industry. However, if true, these allegations are very concerning.” Uber was not immediately available for comment when contacted by Fortune.
The report could add to a slew of recent public relations headaches for Uber. January saw the #DeleteUber boycott over accusations that the company tried to profit from a taxi driver strike against President Donald Trump’s travel ban. The next month, a former engineer at Uber wrote a blog post that detailed how she said she was sexually harassed while working there. Kalanick ordered an internal investigation in response, but faced additional backlash after he was caught berating an Uber driver on video. At least eight different Uber executives have stepped down recently.
