STRENGTHENING DRIVER SCREENING Backgrounder Uber conducts rigorous criminal and driving record screenings on millions of drivers. While no background check is perfect, our process is thorough, fair, and relevant to the work at hand. We’re continuing to build and strengthen on our screening process, with the guidance of our Safety Advisory Board, and are introducing additional measures to improve safety. Driver screenings Before a person is able to drive with Uber in the United States, we complete a screening process that requires an individual’s full name, date of birth, social security number, driver’s license number, a copy of his or her driver’s license, vehicle registration, vehicle insurance, and a valid bank account. We work with Checkr, a third party background check provider accredited by the National Association of Professional Background Screeners. Checkr runs a social security trace to identify addresses associated with the potential driver, and then checks the potential driver’s driving and criminal history in a series of national, state and local databases. These include the US Department of Justice National Sex Offender Public Website, the PACER database, and several databases used to flag suspected terrorists. Upon identifying a potential criminal record, Checkr sends an individual to review the record in-person at the relevant courthouse or, if possible, pulls the record electronically. These screenings use information that is maintained by national, state and county level authorities, whose processes may vary by jurisdiction. By verifying potential criminal records at the source—the courthouse records— we can help ensure that we are checking the most up-to-date records available. The purpose of these screenings is to identify offenses and other information that may disqualify potential drivers from using Uber. Our disqualification criteria includes major and minor driving violations such as DUI and speeding, as well as convictions for violent, sexual, and driving-related crimes and may further vary by jurisdiction according to local laws. Strengthening our U.S. Screening Process: We are committed to ensuring that drivers continue to meet our standards on an ongoing basis, long after they take their first trip. Moving forward, we will increase due diligence to strengthen our screening process. Regular screening with annual background check reruns for criminal and motor vehicle reports. Going forward, Uber will proactively re-run criminal and motor vehicle checks each year, regardless of whether there is a legal obligation to do so. By conducting annual reruns everywhere in the U.S., and expanding beyond jurisdictions where we are legally required, we are committed to ensuring our screening standards are applied consistently and continuously across the country. Using data sources that cover most new offenses, we will receive notifications when a driver is involved and leverage this information to help continuously enforce our screening standards. We will investigate and verify any potentially disqualifying information from public records, such as a new and pending charge for a DUI, to ensure the driver is still eligible to use Uber. New offense notifications. Uber will go beyond annual reruns and be among the first to invest in technology that rapidly identifies new offenses. An extension of Uber’s current
screening process, this will help ensure there is continuous reporting of new reviewable events that occur between scheduled reruns. Here’s how it works: ●
Using data sources that cover most new offenses, Uber will receive notifications when a driver is involved and leverage this information to help continuously enforce our screening standards.
●
Once notified, we will investigate and verify any potentially disqualifying information based on public records, such as a new and pending charge for a DUI or felony crime, to ensure the driver is still eligible to use Uber.
●
Uber remains committed to ensuring there is a fair chance of access to work. In circumstances where the underlying records cannot be verified, or where the arrest has not led to a charge or conviction for a disqualifying offense, no action will be taken.
●
Consistent with our current criteria, if we confirm the arrest has led to a disqualifying event and no longer meets our standards and local requirements, the partner will remain blocked from the app unless the charge is resolved.
This process of investigating potentially disqualifying offenses is consistent with our current approach to screening.