Excerpted from a Colorado Public Radio story by Nathaniel Minor
The Colorado Public Utilities Commission announced Monday it’s fining an Uber subsidiary nearly $9 million for allowing drivers with criminal or motor vehicle offenses to drive for the company.
PUC investigators identified 57 drivers in the last year and a half who should not have been allowed on the platform under state law, according to a press release:
“Among the findings of the investigation were 12 drivers with felony convictions; 17 drivers with major moving vehicle violations; three drivers with interlock driver’s licenses, which are required after recent drunk driving convictions; and 63 drivers with driver’s license issues.”
“We have determined that Uber had background check information that should have disqualified these drivers under the law, but they were allowed to drive anyway,” PUC Director Doug Dean said in a statement. “These actions put the safety of passengers in extreme jeopardy.”
Colorado was one of the first states in the country to regulate ride-hailing companies like Uber and Lyft. Legislation mandates that Transportation Network Companies, as they are called here, conduct background checks and pull a driving history reports for any would-be drivers. The contractors also must have a valid driver’s license.
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