In an effort to improve customer safety, Uber has started running continuous background checks on its drivers.
The popular transportation service announced the move Friday, as it faces ongoing issues involving violent or abusive company drivers. According to Axios, Uber begun conducting real-time background checks in certain U.S. regions earlier this month, and has already removed 25 drivers with criminal charges.
Prior to July, Uber only ran background checks when an individual signed up for the service, making it possible for newly charged criminals to continue driving for the company after the initial investigation. Uber will now work with third-party companies Appriss and Checkr to monitor any new, potentially disqualifying offenses, such as a DUI, violent felonies, or sexual misconduct. Once Uber is notified about the charges, it will decide whether or not to suspend the individual from the platform.
“Safety is essential to Uber and we want to ensure drivers continue to meet our standards on an ongoing basis,” Uber's vice president of safety and insurance, Gus Fuldner, said in a press release. “This new continuous checking technology will strengthen our screening process and improve safety.”
According to CNN, Uber expects to expand the background check system later this summer. The new procedure was announced just weeks after CNN published a report that revealed more than 100 Uber drivers had been accused of sexually assaulting or abusing passengers.
