BREAKING: Dingell Releases Statement on New Rideshare Safety Policies Announced by Uber

Today, U.S. Representative Debbie Dingell (D-MI-06) released the following statement after Uber announced it would be implementing new safety policies:

"For too long, women have had to worry about their safety when using rideshare platforms. Violence against women is an issue larger than any one company, but we must all play our part to protect women and foster a safer society. There is more work to be done, but the policy changes announced by Uber are an important step toward making rideshare services safer for all passengers," said Congresswoman Dingell. "After hearing from survivors and advocates, we spent months pushing Uber to strengthen its policies and close dangerous gaps that allowed individuals with violent criminal histories to continue driving. Expanding disqualifications for violent offenses, including domestic violence-related crimes, and moving to a 99-year background check are meaningful improvements."

Congresswoman Dingell continued: "This is a positive step forward, but this cannot be the end of the conversation. There is still more work to do to ensure people can get into a car without wondering whether they will make it to their destination safely. I'll continue working to strengthen safety standards that put people above profits. And that includes fighting the dangerous amendment in transportation legislation being considered by Congress that would likely shield rideshare companies from liability when passengers are sexually assaulted, injured, or killed during their rides."

Uber announced it is expanding the list of criminal offenses that permanently disqualify a driver in the United States. Uber will bar drivers with prior convictions for violent felonies, crimes that are sexual in nature, as well as stalking and strangulation-related offenses-at any point in their lives. Uber also is extending the time period for its background checks for all new drivers. Previously, background checks in 35 states were based on where a person had lived in the prior seven years. The result was that a crime that happened elsewhere could go unnoticed. Now they will be based on anywhere the driver has ever lived. Current drivers will undergo a new background check each year.

In January 2026, Congresswoman Dingell expressed her concerns to and demanded answers from Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi about the company's response to reports of sexual assault and harassment by its users. A 2025 New York Times investigation showed that Uber received a report of sexual assault or misconduct on average every 8 minutes between 2017 and 2022, a total of 400,181 reports. Earlier this month, Congresswoman Dingell joined her colleagues in the Democratic Women's Caucus in urging Speaker Mike Johnson to remove a dangerous provision from the BUILD America 250 Act that would likely shield rideshare companies, such as Uber and Lyft, from liability when passengers are sexually assaulted, injured, or killed during their rides. A longtime fighter for women and survivors of sexual and domestic assault, Congresswoman Dingell will continue to push for the removal of this provision.