Video footage recorded by a private investigator showed at least ten drivers for Uber and Lyft paid cash for rides illegally , after working outside of their apps ( despite having used them to find the job ) in an illegal move called an “ off - platform transaction ” . The private investigator documented every ride with a report and a mobile phone video showing everything from the initial solicitation to the drop off . Yet on Feb. 18 — the last day of the Men’s Apparel Guild in California convention at the Las Vegas Convention Center — a private investigator took seven off-platform rides with different Uber and Lyft drivers, paying $20 cash for a trip from the convention center to Wynn Las Vegas. Notably , the undercover operation was financed by Smart Bus , which operates taxi ##s in the local area and therefore the incident can presumably be seen as the latest move in the ongoing battle between traditional taxi companies and app - based companies such as Uber and Lyft .
Video footage recorded by a private investigator showed at least ten drivers for Uber and Lyft paid cash for rides illegally , after working outside of their apps ( despite having used them to find the job ) in an illegal move called an “ off - platform transaction ” . The private investigator documented every ride with a report and a mobile phone video showing everything from the initial solicitation to the drop off . Notably , the undercover operation was financed by Smart Bus , which operates taxi ##s in the local area and therefore the incident can presumably be seen as the latest move in the ongoing battle between traditional taxi companies and app - based companies such as Uber and Lyft .