If approved by voters, the initiative would classify rideshare companies as “common carriers,” placing them in the same legal category as taxis, buses and trains.
SAN DIEGO — Rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft have transformed how millions of Californians get around, but questions remain about who is held responsible when something goes wrong. A new proposed statewide ballot initiative aims to change that by expanding accountability for driver misconduct, including sexual assault.
Supporters of the measure say concerns over passenger safety are driving the effort. If approved by voters, the initiative would classify rideshare companies as “common carriers,” placing them in the same legal category as taxis, buses and trains. It would hold them to a higher standard of care for passengers.
For riders like Isabelle Hallin, a college student, the proposal addresses fears many already carry when using rideshare services.
“I think that’s great, especially being a college student and coming home late at night,” Hallin said. “It’s always important to know who your Uber driver is.”
The initiative would require annual fingerprinting and background checks for rideshare drivers and mandate public reporting of sexual misconduct complaints involving drivers.
“To know that their information is in the system, their fingerprints, they will be held accountable, I think that makes [me] and my family really comfortable when they know that I’m taking an Uber safely,” Hallin added.
Many parents say the issue hits especially close to home. This includes Mark Lord, a father who told CBS 8 that he worries about his daughters and friends using rideshare services.
“I’m wholeheartedly all for extra security measures, more stringent background checks on these drivers to minimize and mitigate some of these claims of sexual assaults,” Lord said.
The initiative’s strategist, Dan Newman, points to court filings and company disclosures from Uber as evidence of what he calls a widespread problem within the rideshare industry.
“This company has received a report of sexual assault or sexual misconduct nearly every eight minutes,” Newman said.
Newman accuses rideshare companies like Uber of prioritizing profits over passenger safety.
“Instead of spending a little bit of money to protect people from crimes like rape, this multi-billion-dollar corporation wants to save the funds for their corporate profits and their executive salaries,” he said.
According to the California Secretary of State, the initiative was cleared earlier this month to begin collecting signatures. Supporters must gather more than 546,000 valid signatures by July to qualify for the November ballot.
If approved by voters, the measure would also require rideshare companies to publish regular reports detailing incidents of sexual misconduct.
“They want to hide this,” Newman said. “They have this sordid secret of the epidemic of sexual assault and sexual misconduct, and they don’t want to be held accountable for it.”
CBS 8 reached out to both Uber and Lyft for comment, but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
Signature gathering for the initiative is already underway across California.