According to the rideshare app Uber’s website, more than 10 million trips are arranged and taken through the app every day. Still, its popularity doesn’t mean there have never been issues with the service. Ever since ridesharing emerged as a concept, safety has been a concern among users. Public officials and consumers have urged Uber and Lyft, its main competitor, to strengthen their approach to customer and driver safety against the backdrop of impressive industry growth.
Uber’s background checks have been one of the biggest questions on concerned customers’ minds. This article will discuss the company’s background check policy, requirements, the frequency of background checks, how long the screenings take, and other pertinent issues.
Background Check Policy
The privately-owned ridesharing company carries out background checks on every prospective driver. The screening includes a review of the candidate’s Motor Vehicle Report, which is a record of their driving history from their state’s DMV, as well as a criminal background screening.
What are the Uber Background Check Requirements?
According to the company’s site, a candidate needs a valid US license free of disqualifying restrictions to be approved as an Uber driver. These include major driving violations or a series of minor violations committed recently. If the candidate is under 23, they need at least three years of driving experience with a license. The minimum for everyone above that age is one year.
Criminal background screening depends on the laws of the state, which means that the restrictions in some states might be tighter than in others.
Of course, some candidates are subject to automatic disqualification based on the background check results. In addition to the inadequate driving experience or driving violations, people found to have been convicted of murder, assault, offenses related to terrorism, other offenses or violent crimes or felonies, or with pending charges in any of those categories of crimes will be rejected by Uber.
How Frequently does Uber Run Background Checks?
Since Uber was founded, many drivers have started working there on a long-term basis, which has prompted safety-conscious users to ask about the frequency of background checks on the drivers. Ongoing screenings via third parties have been taking place since 2018. These include background check service Checkr and Appriss, a data and analytics provider.
How Long Does a Background Check Take?
For those wondering how long an Uber background check takes, it’s not long – usually just 3-5 business days. They can take longer depending on different factors, such as access to county courthouse records or local government processes.
Who Performs the Background Checks?
In the US, Uber’s third-party screening services Checkr, HireRight, and Samba Safety do background checks on prospective drivers. Check carries out the original background checks on candidates. The provider is accredited by the National Association of Professional Background Screeners.
The background check does not cover a credit check. Uber evaluates the results and determines the candidate’s eligibility once they receive them from their third-party providers.
When does the Candidate Get the Results?
Some candidates get copies of their background check reports from the vendor while Uber is still in the process of reviewing the results. Once Uber reviews the report and makes a decision, they update the candidate’s background check status.
Some states have background check requirements in addition to the initial report. It takes extra time to complete these processes.
What Period of Time does the Uber Background Check Cover?
The candidate’s Social Security number is used to obtain their driving and criminal records. According to ridester.com, a rideshare industry news outlet, Uber looks back seven years.
Government officials have pressed Uber to take additional steps to ensure the safety of the rideshare service. US Senator Richard Blumenthal recommended that Uber and Lyft conduct fingerprint background checks for all employees. He also urged the two ridesharing services to publicize information about drivers who have been fired to improve safety throughout the industry, according to a recent press report.
According to Blumenthal, he took an interest in ridesharing service safety after the Washington Post published a report on the app’s Special Investigations Unit, which deals with customer complaints. According to the report, investigators were instructed by Uber to act in the interest of the company first and consider passenger safety only after that.
Image Source: https://pixabay.com/photos/car-driving-driver-steering-wheel-2942982/
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