Uber and Lyft to share banned drivers list

Lyft and Uber have announced the Industry Sharing Safety Program, a first-of-its-kind effort to share information about the drivers and delivery people deactivated from each company’s platform for the most serious safety incidents including sexual assault and physical assaults resulting in a fatality.

The ridesharing giants say the goal of the programme is to further enhance the safety of the entire ridesharing industry and equip companies with important safety information to protect their customers. Lyft and Uber will share information about driver deactivations related to the five most critical safety issues within the National Sexual Violence Resource Center’s (NSVRC) Sexual Misconduct and Sexual Violence Taxonomy, along with physical assault fatalities.

“Sexual assault is drastically underreported, making these crimes less likely to show up in our rigorous background check and screening processes,” said Jennifer Brandenburger, Head of Policy Development at Lyft.

“With the Industry Sharing Safety Program, Lyft and Uber are working together to further enhance our screening capabilities, as well as the safety of the entire rideshare industry.”

“Safety should never be proprietary. You should be safe no matter what ridesharing platform you choose. We’re thrilled to come together with Lyft to improve safety for the entire industry,” said Tony West, Senior Vice President and Chief Legal Officer at Uber.

“Tackling these tough safety issues is bigger than any one of us and this new Industry Sharing Safety Program demonstrates the value of working collaboratively with experts, advocates and others to make a meaningful difference. We encourage more companies to join us.”

The programme has been applauded by other groups in the US, who see the cooperation of the two of the country’s biggest ride hailing companies as a boost to the safety of passengers.

“The National Action Network applauds Uber and Lyft for coming together to create the Industry Sharing Safety Program,” said the Rev. Al Sharpton, Founder and President of the National Action Network.

“Preventing serious safety incidents like sexual assault takes cooperation, even from industry competitors, and the work here will benefit everyone in the industry.”