NEW RIDE-HAIL REGS FOCUS OF STATE FORUM
Meeting Tuesday in Boston
Representatives of Uber and Lyft, local elected officials and a host of community organizations from across the Bay State are expected to pack into a hearing Tuesday focused on newly enacted security regulations pertaining to ride-hailing drivers.
Nearly 120 drivers, riders and companies have already submitted written testimony for the hearing, almost all of which blasted the state’s mandatory background checks for drivers that have been widely criticized for being too strict. Some of the speakers are drivers who say they had been working for ride-for-hire companies for years, but found themselves banned from the job due to decadesold driving infractions.
“Over-broad disqualifying conditions harm real people seeking to work for a living, support their families and contribute to their communities,” said Gavi Wolfe, legislative director at the ACLU of Massachusetts, in her written testimony. “Under the proposed regulations, drivers and driver applicants are being disqualified for minor violations, some not even related to driving records.”
The hearing is slated to begin at 10 a.m. at the state transportation building.
Earlier this year, the Department of Public Utilities, which oversees the so-called Transportation Network Companies, began running an additional background check on existing drivers.
The DPU eventually disqualified more than 8,000 drivers.
The DPU said hundreds had a history of violent offenses, and more than 50 were registered sex offenders.
About 500 of the disqualified drivers were able to successfully appeal after they showed they had enough driving experience outside of Massachusetts.
But the checks have been heavily criticized for not limiting how recent some infractions or convictions must be, and for treating continuances without a finding — cases in which a defendant admits to sufficient facts in a case but is not convicted — the same as a conviction.
“These regulations are detrimental to the well-being of people with convictions and their families,” wrote a group of organizations led by Families for Justice as Healing. “Making matters worse, the regulations as they are proposed will undoubtedly contribute to racial bias in hiring, given the high rates of disparities in the Massachusetts criminal justice system.”
Regulators have consistently been playing catch-up with the emerging ride-hailing industry, which has rapidly gained popularity.
Even some who have long called for stronger background checks on ride-hail drivers, including Everett Mayor Carlo DiMaria, now say the new checks are too stringent. DiMaria said his office has been flooded with calls from drivers who say they have been unfairly disqualified.