RIDEGURU
It's an outrage, but this makes me wonder too. One, does past criminal records really affect the future behaviors or an ability to be an Uber driver? Two, is it reasonable for Uber to perform thousands of criminal checks on all of its drivers? They are independent contractors too. etc.
Thousands of criminals were cleared to be Uber drivers. Here's how rideshare companies fought stronger checks
"For anyone looking, it wouldn't have been too hard to uncover Talal Chammout's sordid past.
A simple internet search would have turned up news accounts of his criminal history, such as his assault conviction or the time a federal judge sentenced him to 6½ years in prison for being a felon in possession of firearms."
...
"Three years after he was released from prison, Chammout wanted to be an Uber driver. The company did not run a background check on him and he was allowed to drive in 2015. Three months later, he followed one of his passengers into her home and sexually assaulted her. He is now serving a 25-year prison sentence.
It wasn't the only time Uber welcomed a driver who should have been barred under the company's policy that excludes people with convictions of serious crimes or major driving offenses from shuttling passengers, a CNN investigation into rideshare background checks found.
Among the shady drivers who cleared Uber's screening process: A man convicted of attempted murder who is now accused of raping a passenger in Kansas City; a murderer on parole in Brazos County, Texas; a previously deported undocumented immigrant who is now facing trial for sexually assaulting three passengers and attacking another in San Luis Obispo, California. They no longer drive for Uber."
https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/01/us/felons-driving-for-uber-invs/index.html
Comments
Knowing some decent people with criminal records, I do empathize with people who are looking for jobs. I do. Some people have learned their lessons. Some of them just got caught up with a wrong crowd. Some people were just there at the wrong time wrong place. I get it. Many of them do deserve a second chance.
With that said, perhaps directly working with customers, in an enclosed cabin, alone with potentially vulnerable people, away from the monitors of supervisors, etc. may not be an ideal position to offer these people. I don't think I really have to explain that, right? There is a reason people demand tighter background checks on these positions.
Dude, what's wrong with you. Of course they can perform background checks on people they are hiring. and their being independent contractor has nothing to do with it
The fact that they found Uber's been hiring them means that their past background checks never bothered to investigate enough. In fact, it's an indication that they didn't do anything. That's where the problem is
What's outrageous is that Uber touted their BS Checkr "background checks" as an effective screening tool, and are now getting caught, yet again, in a web of deception and lies.
Let's try something new. Do real background checks on all drivers, and eliminate all that fail to meet the no criminal background standard. A culling of the herd, reduction in the number of drivers on the road, better fares for good drivers, and "increased safety" for riders.
Do you think that is fair to insist on "no criminal background". What if someone has something on their record 30-40 years old? They should be ostracized forever? Most non-governmental job applications limit the scope of their background questions to "have you been convicted of a felony in the past ten years". Security background checks ask for a lifetime disclosure; but, that does not necessarily disqualify you from that position. They just would like to know everything about you to preclude any possibility of someone blackmailing you with that information. If there is no path to forgiveness then criminals have no reason to rehabilitate themselves. I just think at some point we as a society have to let it go.