It’s about time.
Pressure mounts, lawsuits pile up, and Uber finally adjusts its background check protocols. Recent legal battles claimed the platform didn’t do enough to stop sexual assaults. So now? Stricter rules.
“After listening to a wide range of feedback… we’ve broadened the criteria…”
The goal? Safety. Simple. But the execution is more specific now. Drivers with convictions “may be sexual in nature” get banned permanently. Stalking. Strangulation. Felony or misdemeanor status doesn’t matter here. Uber cites experts who say these crimes predict future violence. Civil rights groups and domestic violence preventers weighed in too.
The old system was lazy, frankly. It only checked seven years back. The new process? Lifetime. Ninety-nine years of history. They are digging deeper.
Wait, it’s not all scorched earth for existing drivers. If you have a record from more than fifteen years ago, and it wasn’t sexual in nature, you’re probably safe. As long as there are no serious safety complaints against you, at least. The rollout is still happening across the country, bit by bit.
Why the change now?
The New York Times didn’t pull any punches in their investigations. Violent altercations? Common. Female riders? The primary targets. A December report showed Uber was still greenlighting drivers with violent felonies. That looks bad. Really bad.
Then there’s February. Uber got deemed partially liable for a rape and assault. Internal docs showed the app flagged the ride as risky. It never notified the victim. Or the police. They tried for $144 million in damages? Ha. The court said no. They paid $8.5 million.
A steep price, sure. But compared to what?
The system is patchy still. Rules are shifting. Drivers are nervous. Riders are hopeful. Nobody knows if this actually works yet.
The goal is the safest platform.
Or at least that’s the pitch.
