12-06-2017
Uber has been fined $8.9 million dollars for allowing 57 drivers in Colorado to work for it even though they were not qualified.
After an Uber driver was accused of assaulting a passenger, the Colorado Public Utilities Commission investigated. It found that Uber had hired at least 12 drivers with felony convictions, 17 drivers with major moving vehicle violations and three more with drunk driving convictions. The Commission stated that Uber knew of these drivers’ background information but hired them anyway. In a few instances, the Commission could not find evidence that criminal background checks were even conducted by Uber. $2,500 per day was assessed for each disqualified driver found to have worked for Uber.
Uber has claimed that the hirings were due to an error in its Colorado background check process and that efforts are underway to correct the problem. Uber is currently facing a lawsuit in San Francisco where numerous female passengers have claimed that they were raped, sexually assaulted and otherwise subjected to physical violence while using the ride-sharing service.