Uber is retroactively disqualifying tens of thousands of US drivers for violent felonies, including armed robbery, child abuse, and stalking, regardless of how long ago the crime occurred. The policy expands background checks to a 99-year trace of a driver’s social security number, closing a loophole that previously allowed convictions older than seven years to go unnoticed. This move affects roughly 0.5% of Uber’s active US workforce, or tens of thousands of gig workers, and comes as the company faces thousands of sexual-assault lawsuits from passengers.
The new standards apply to both new applicants and existing drivers, with an annual screening now covering a lifetime of criminal history. Previously, non-sexual violent felonies were only disqualifying if they occurred within seven years of the check. Uber is exempting about 2,000 long-tenured drivers with no serious safety complaints, allowing them to stay if their felony is more than 15 years old and not sexual in nature.
The policy aligns with similar changes Uber agreed to in California to end a costly ballot-measure battle over liability in sexual-assault cases. The company already permanently disqualifies drivers with convictions for sexual assault, murder, kidnapping, and terrorism. By expanding the scope, Uber aims to reduce the likelihood of missing convictions and mitigate legal exposure, though the move may face pushback from civil rights advocates concerned about fairness to rehabilitated individuals.
What to watch next: Whether other rideshare and delivery platforms adopt similar lifetime background checks, and how regulators or courts respond to the potential impact on gig workers’ livelihoods.
Key Takeaways
- Uber will remove tens of thousands of US drivers with violent felony convictions, even if the crime occurred more than seven years ago.
- The new policy uses a 99-year social security number trace to catch convictions missed by previous checks.
- About 2,000 long-tenured drivers with no safety complaints are exempted from the retroactive disqualification.
- The change follows a wave of sexual-assault lawsuits and a California legal settlement over driver liability.
Insights & Analysis
- Uber is prioritizing litigation risk reduction over driver supply, signaling that legal costs from sexual-assault cases now outweigh the value of retaining experienced drivers.
- This policy could set a precedent for the gig economy, forcing competitors like Lyft and DoorDash to adopt similar lifetime background checks or face increased liability exposure.