Uber allows violent felons to drive on its platform, investigation finds

An investigation carried out by the In Uber’s background checks and security procedures for its drivers, a patchwork approach was found that opens the door for violent criminals to drive to the ride-hailing platform.

Uber categorically rejects applicants convicted of murder, sexual assault, kidnapping and terrorism. However, in 22 states, the Times found that Uber can approve applicants convicted of many other offenses, including child abuse, assault and stalking, if the convictions are at least seven years old. The in-depth investigation also found that in 35 states, these checks are largely based on where a person has lived during those seven years, meaning convictions from other locations could go unnoticed.

In 2017, Massachusetts conducted an audit of ride-hailing drivers in the state and ended up banning more than 8,000 drivers (about 11%) who had been previously approved. Lyft, for its part, does not allow drivers with previous violent crime convictions, regardless of their conviction date.

In a 2015 document reviewed by The Times, Uber executives discussed a strategy to “shift the debate over the security of background checks to [less costly] These initiatives have been proven to reduce incidents. » A 2018 email from Uber’s head of security communications described the company’s background check policy as “a bare minimum.”

The Times has compiled half a dozen examples of serious cases in which Uber drivers with previous convictions for violence were later accused by passengers of sexual assault or rape. Two of these cases resulted in criminal convictions.

Between 2017 and 2022, Uber’s U.S. operations involving sexual assault or sexual misconduct occurred almost every eight minutes, according to the company’s own internal data. Uber said 75% of those reports involved “less serious” incidents such as flirting or comments about a passenger’s appearance, and claimed 99.9% of its rides were completed without incident.