Uber, Lyft oppose some bills that aim to prevent assaults during rides

Jun. 18—While on her way home from a coworking space in Denver last year, Colorado state Rep. Jenny Willford says she was sexually assaulted by her Lyft driver.

In her lawsuit filed against Lyft in January, Willford alleges she was “subjected to unwelcome, nonconsensual sexual contact, touching” and lewd comments during the ride.

Willford was picked up by a different driver than the person identified in the Lyft app, according to the suit.

Her experience — and those that other survivors shared with her after hearing her story — prompted Willford, a Democrat, to introduce legislation this year that aimed to require safety measures for both riders and drivers using ridesharing apps.

“In my mind, all of these things are very basic when it comes to safety,” Willford said. “They’re just so common sense that it’s been really disheartening and frustrating to me that Uber … threatened to leave the state if the bill becomes law.”

Her bill would have required rideshare companies to conduct more regular background checks for drivers, to create a program for passengers or drivers who want to audio or video record their rides and to develop other safety policies.

But following Uber’s threats to leave the state if the measure passed, Colorado Democratic Gov. Jared Polis vetoed it in late May. The bill would jeopardize rideshare services in Colorado “to an untenable degree, and could very well lead to companies that Coloradans rely on exiting the market, raising prices, or reducing the number of drivers,” his veto letter said.

Colorado isn’t alone. State and city leaders across the country are looking for ways to make rideshares safer. But lobbying campaigns from Uber and Lyft in many cases are blocking legislation meant to strengthen protections for both drivers and passengers.

Uber and Lyft, the two companies that dominate the U.S. rideshare industry, argue they have sufficient safety features within their apps.

“At Uber, we put safety at the heart of our operations, using technology, transparency, and accountability to help protect riders, drivers, and the broader community, with robust background checks and safety features like Audio and Video Recording, the Emergency Button, PIN verification, and RideCheck,” Uber wrote in a statement to Stateline.

“We remain committed to this work, and to dialogue with bill sponsors on sensible policies that keep people safe while protecting privacy and access.”

But there’s still a gap in regulations for rideshare companies because…