The goal of the initiative is to further improve the safety of the entire ridesharing industry
Uber, Lyft partner to create a database of abusive drivers in the US. (Credit: Uber Technologies Inc.)
Ridesharing companies Uber and Lyft have partnered to create a database of abusive drivers in the US under the ‘Industry Sharing Safety Program’.
The partners said that the initiative will help in sharing information about the drivers and delivery people who had been ousted from their respective platforms on charges of the most serious safety incidents. The personnel included in the database are those involved in sexual assaults and physical assaults leading to a fatality.
The programme’s goal will be to further improve the safety of the entire ridesharing industry. Besides, it will strive to equip firms with important safety information to safeguard their customers.
Uber and Lyft will provide information about driver deactivations matching the five most critical safety issues within the National Sexual Violence Resource Center’s (NSVRC) Sexual Misconduct and Sexual Violence Taxonomy, in addition to physical assault fatalities.
Uber senior vice president and chief legal officer Tony West said: “Safety should never be proprietary. You should be safe no matter what ridesharing platform you choose.
“We’re thrilled to come together with Lyft to improve safety for the entire industry.
“Tackling these tough safety issues is bigger than any one of us and this new Industry Sharing Safety Program demonstrates the value of working collaboratively with experts, advocates and others to make a meaningful difference.”
HireRight, a workforce solutions provider, has been selected by the firms to administer the information sharing.
The company will gather and manage the data from individual firms, match, and share information between them. This will ensure that the companies are sticking to the best practices and industry standards informed by sexual violence prevention experts and also the NSVRC Taxonomy.
Uber and Lyft are said to have worked with HireRight for developing a survivor-centric process. The process incorporates learnings from anti-sexual violence advocates and prioritises safety, privacy, and fairness for drivers as well as survivors.
Other transportation and delivery network providers in the US can join the programme as well. However, the participants are expected to agree to certain requirements such as meeting data accuracy expectations.
Lyft policy development head Jennifer Brandenburger said: “Sexual assault is drastically underreported, making these crimes less likely to show up in our rigorous background check and screening processes.
“With the Industry Sharing Safety Program, Lyft and Uber are working together to further enhance our screening capabilities, as well as the safety of the entire rideshare industry.”