California Governor Jerry Brown recently signed a new law that would prohibit ride-hailing companies such as Uber and Lyft from hiring any driver who is a registered sex offender or have a violent felony conviction on their record. This is a change from the current requirement that will only go back seven years when searching for any criminal records. The new law also prohibits ride-hailing companies from hiring drivers with certain misdemeanors such as domestic violence and driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
This new law to place additional background check restrictions on ride-hailing companies has partially been in response to some regulators and taxi commissions arguing that the background checks currently done by Uber and Lyft are less rigorous than those used in taxi and limousine industries.
For their part Uber and Lyft are welcoming this new law as a way to provide a more comprehensive screening of their drivers and position the ride-hailing industry to grow within California.
Uber and Lyft continue to argue against a fingerprint requirement saying it is too onerous and unnecessary. They halted operations in Austin, Texas earlier this year after voters upheld regulations requiring fingerprint-based background checks.
This law in California is part of a continuing effort to regulate ride-hailing companies and enforce standards with their drivers. Private background screening companies will continue to serve a pivotal role in providing the comprehensive search products and services required by this new California law.
IntelliCorp is accredited with the National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS) and offers products and services compliant with the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA).
Learn more about these services today.
Here is an article written on the new law:
California Law Strengthens Background Checks for Uber and Lyft