A new and stricter state Background check law was implemented in January of this year in Massachusetts. More than 8,000 drivers of Uber and lyft have been denied licenses to operate due to several violations.
Out of 70,789 applicants, 8,206 were rejected. The most common reason for the rejection was the status of their licenses, many had suspended licenses while some were not driving enough to qualify for the company. Some had serious crimes on their record including violent or sexual offenses, while others had drunk or reckless driving violations.
The new background check law
Under the new law, drivers for companies such as Uber and Lyft need to undergo a two-part background check, one from the company itself and another by the state government. This has come about as a result from criticism Uber has received for the way they have been handling background checks. The company reportedly failed to discover criminal records of 25 drivers that were operating in Los Angeles and San Francisco in 2014.
However, Uber and Lyft explained that Massachusetts background check investigates much deeper into an applicant’s history compared to their background check. Lyft said in a statement, “Under Massachusetts law, Lyft’s commercial background check provider, like all consumer reporting agencies, is legally prevented from looking back further than seven years into driver applicant’s histories,” according to a report by Boston Globe.
The new law is reportedly unfair to drivers with prior violations who want to turn their lives around.
Uber sued by stab victim
In other news, Uber is being sued by a woman named Jennifer Camacho, who was allegedly attacked with a knife by another passenger, a 34-year old woman, in a cab of the ride-sharing company.
The company told the media that the incident did not involve Uber and it was an altercation between two passengers. Their insurance provider refused to compensate the alleged victim. However, Camacho’s lawyer said that the company should take responsibility and is seeking $150,000 in damages.
