Proposed law would ban level 1, level 2, and level 3 sex offenders from applying and working for mobile transportation applications such as Uber, Lyft, and SideCar
ALBANY, NY (04/14/15) -- Today, Assemblyman Marcos Crespo, chair of the Assembly Puerto Rican/Hispanic Task Force, announced he has introduced legislation (A. 6864) that will improve the safety for consumers using mobile transportation applications such as Uber, Lyft, and SideCar.
Recent and growing accounts of violent crimes and rapes committed by drivers of these transportation networks has shed light into faulty background checks by Uber and the like. In order to help reduce the incidents of sexual assaults perpetrated on passengers, the new legislation goes beyond the faulty background screening processes used by mobile application transportation networks by simply prohibiting one set of individual who have exhibited dangerous criminal behavior from any participation in the workforce of these transportation systems.
According to Crespo, “The most heinous of crimes reported by drivers of said transportation systems all involve rape and even murder by drivers who had been screened but had long criminal records which were simply overlooked, ignored or missed. Every action that policymakers can take to increase public safety should be acted upon diligently. This is the case with this proposal.”
By adding level 1, level 2 and level 3 sex offenders to those prohibited from applying and working as “independent contractors” for Uber, Lyft and the like, this legislation will effectively reduce the threat to consumers that they will become crime victims.
Crespo added, “Major news organizations have conducted investigative reporting which has uncovered faulty background checks by Uber and the like. This in turn has allowed individuals with violent criminal histories to work as drivers in these transportation systems. This set of events and actions has placed countless consumers in harm’s way.”
In addition, and also of major concern is the fact that these “independent contractors” are inadequately insured leaving potential victims without proper compensation if an accident occurs.
