A regulatory authority in California has determined that it won’t require ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft to perform fingerprint-based background checks for their drivers. The California Public Utilities Commission indicated its decision in a new report, which still requires approval by a vote, but it appears unlikely that it will be opposed. Essentially, the…
Uber, India-based ride-hailing service Ola, and Airbnb are considering implementing Aadhaar authentication for their service providers, reports BuzzFeed. Administrated by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), Aadhaar is, of course, the world’s most ambitious biometric ID program, enabling various government and private sector organizations in India to use biometric data to confirm the identities…
The Texas House of Representatives has passed a bill bringing the regulation of ride-hailing companies like Uber under state jurisdiction. While the bill requires such companies to pay annual $5,000 fees to the state, it could nullify municipal regulations in Austin and Houston requiring them to perform fingerprint-based background checks on drivers. The bill, introduced by…
“The bill is almost certain to prompt a notice from Uber and Lyft that the organizations will halt their services in Rhode Island if the biometric background check requirement is implemented.” Another state is considering legislation that would require Uber drivers to undergo biometric background checks. Rhode Island State Attorney General Peter Kilmartin has just…
“The legislation is set to take effect December 15th, but the Maryland Public Service Commission will hold hearings on the matter starting this Thursday, with Uber and Lyft officials expected to participate.” Ride-hailing services Uber and Lyft are threatening to halt operations in Maryland if they are forced to comply with new legislation requiring that…
Uber is launching a biometric identification system for its drivers in the US, but it’s not the one that regulators have been asking for. The ride-hailing company has been in a protracted conflict with state and municipal authorities across the US who have attempted to introduce biometric background checks for Uber and similar services. In…
Smaller ride-hailing services are filling the void left by Uber and Lyft in Austin. The leading ride-hailing companies ceased their operations in the city this past May in protest of municipal legislation requiring biometric, fingerprint-based background checks for drivers. Now, with the giants gone, numerous smaller companies have been offering similar services, and are operating in compliance…
Florida’s Hillsborough County is moving to implement new regulations for ride-hailing services such as Uber and Lyft, reports the Tampa Bay Times. A subcommittee of the county’s Public Transportation Committee voted to proceed with new legislation establishing a special category for ride-hailing companies called ‘transportation network companies’, or TNCs, and setting out specific regulations for such…
The Massachusetts House and Senate have approved new legislation concerning the certification of Uber and Lyft drivers, and Boston Police Commissioner William Evans has gone public with his concerns about their lack of any requirement for a fingerprint-based background check. While the regulations require Uber and Lyft drivers to be officially certified and to have…
New-generation taxi services Uber and Lyft are once again fighting efforts to mandate biometric background checks for their drivers. This time, the fighting is playing out in New Jersey, where two bills are currently being debated at the Legislature, one that would let the attorney general decide on mandatory fingerprint-based background checks, and another that…
The International Biometrics + Identity Association (IBIA) is urging unregulated taxi services Uber and Lyft to accept fingerprint-based background checks for their drivers. In a new white paper, the organization argues that the companies’ reliance on biographic background checks and their refusal to make use of the criminal databases associated with program’s like the FBI’s Rap…
Uber is implementing a facial recognition system for drivers in China, the company has announced. It’s designed to cut down on the practices of drivers’ sharing accounts or using fake accounts, issues that are apparently more commonplace in China than in other countries in which Uber operates. The unregulated taxi service is now seeking to implement…
The Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, more commonly known as the Atlanta airport, is seeking to impose mandatory fingerprint-based background checks on unlicensed taxi services such as Uber and Lyft. The airport submitted the plan to Atlanta’s city council for consideration this week. Predictably, Uber and Lyft have come out with public objections against the proposal,…
Ride-sharing services Uber and Lyft are fighting municipal legislation encouraging them to adopt fingerprint-based background checks for drivers in Austin, Texas. The legislation offers special privileges to drivers who undergo the fingerprint-based background checks, such as access to high-traffic areas at city events. But the ride-sharing companies see it differently, with Uber having issued a…
Private cab service Uber has been facing some legal hurdles in the form of biometric background checks in at least two Texas cities recently. The service was recently reinstated in San Antonio, where it had ceased operations after the introduction of regulations mandating, among other things, fingerprint-based background checks for drivers. A deal has now…