Lyft and Uber spending big bucks to overturn Texas fingerprint law

By Bruce Brown Published May 7, 2016

uber settles driver background check case man driving in car the city ride share lyft getaround zipcar — Uber and Lyft are lobbying to overturn an Austin law requiring driver fingerprints Lightpoet/Shutterstock

Uber and Lyft share plenty interest in a vote being held today in Austin, Texas. The two companies have been the major contributors to lobby group Ridesharing Works for Austin, according to Reuters. The group is focused on overturning an Austin municipal law passed in December, 2015 that requires fingerprinting in background checks of ride-hail service drivers.

According to campaign records, Ridesharing Works for Austin spent $5.4 million of its $8 million in contributions by the end of April. The group lobbying in favor of keeping the law in place, in contrast, spent just $83,000 of the $100,000 it had raised.

Recommended Videos

Fingerprinting ride-share drivers is a hot issue for the companies that employ the drivers, who are considered contractors. The issue is growing in importance and attention for municipalities concerned about rider safety. Houston and Atlanta are also in contention with the companies over the issue. Conventional taxi and livery companies are interested in stricter background checks on what have become their biggest competitors.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

Pushing back the legislation in Austin may be akin to putting a finger in a hole in a dike to stem flood waters, but at this time, that’s where the fight and the opportunity are. Other cities currently preparing or considering laws about driver fingerprinting are watching today, because what happens in Austin may not stay in Austin. The Austin results may give them good information and guidance for their own efforts.

Uber and Lyft have taken the position that their current background checks are sufficient and that fingerprint checks will dissuade potential drivers. Uber has also argued that since the drivers are independent contractors and not employees, that the company is not liable for alleged sexual harassment, rape, or other crimes by drivers while clocked into the ride-hailing service.

A recent federal court ruling in California did not approve dismissing Uber’s liability in a case of alleged rape by one of its drivers. The same ruling dismissed without prejudice (which means the claim could be brought back) company liability in an alleged driver assault case. Those two cases, which are still in court, may set sufficient precedent for future claims.

Uber, Lyft, and other ride-sharing companies may eventually decide to the stringency of their driver checks. But today Uber and Lyft are working together to get the fingerprinting requirement off the books in Austin.

Topics

Contributing Editor

Bruce Brown Contributing Editor As a Contributing Editor to the Auto teams at Digital Trends and TheManual.com, Bruce…

Cars

Ending EV tax rebate could seriously harm Tesla, Chevrolet, and Volkswagen sales, study finds

Many analysts predict that sales of electric vehicles will be hit should the incoming Trump administration carry out its plans to end the $7,500 federal tax incentives on EV purchases and leases.

While predictions vary, with some expecting this would lead to a 27% drop in demand for EVs, research firm J.D. Power took an extra step and asked consumers how rebates had influenced their decision to buy an EV.

Cars

Volkswagen’s new electric Golf will get the Rivian treatment

volkswagens new electric golf will get the rivian treatment 2024 vw facelift

The Golf represents “the heart” of the Volkswagen brand, the automaker said at the start of 2024, as the iconic model celebrated five decades of existence.

A 50th anniversary also seems like the right occasion to fully bring the Golf into the 21st century: While we already knew that VW is reviving an electric version of the model, the German automaker just revealed the next-gen Golf will also benefit from Rivian’s cutting-edge software and electrical systems.

Cars

Ram says its new midsize truck will surprise

2025 Dodge Ram 1500 REV Front

While an appetite for smaller pickups has been growing in recent years, Ram has been cultivating the art of suspense about delivering the goods to the U.S. market.

The Stellantis-owned brand has let it be known that a smaller pickup than the full-size Ram 1500 is in the works. But the brand seems keen to keep the suspense alive by limiting the amount of clues it provides.