Uber Will Need To Fingerprint Drivers In California To Transport Teens

Uber has 30 days to require certain drivers to get fingerprinted if the ride-hail giant intends to continue transporting unaccompanied teens in California. The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) issued a ruling Thursday that requires taxi and ride-hail drivers who are carrying unaccompanied minors in the state to pass a fingerprint background check. The ruling also requires transport companies to pay for the cost of those background checks. “When an adult is being tasked to provide a service to a minor, the adult is placed in a position of trust, responsibility, and control over California’s most vulnerable citizenry — children,” reads the decision. “Not conducting a fingerprint-based background check to identify adults with disqualifying arrests or criminal records would place the unaccompanied minor in a potentially dangerous, if not life-threatening situation.” […]

The CPUC’s ruling also requires transport companies that intend to transport minors share information with the agency on how they implement live trip tracking for parents, what safety procedures they implement at pickup and drop-off locations, and what sort of driver training the companies implement specifically around transporting unaccompanied minors. The ruling also says that each company is responsible for paying for the checks. Uber has also argued against this stipulation, saying that forcing the company — which has a market cap of around $150 billion as of December — to pay for fingerprinting would result in a price hike for the Uber for Teens service.