Unexpected Uber Background Checks Cause Already Screened NYC TLC Drivers To Lose Out On Earnings

Many NYC TLC drivers were subject to unexpected background checks by Uber last weekend, causing them to lose access to the app for days. Doesn't the NYC TLC already conduct such checks?

Last weekend, NYC Uber / Rideshare social media was filled with posts about unexpected background checks Uber decided to run on many drivers. The background checks were being done via service provider Checkr and temporarily deactivated drivers from the Uber platform. Some drivers had to wait up to five days in order to regain access to the Uber App. This obviously came as a surprise to many commercially licensed TLC drivers who lost out on multiple days of earnings.

Let me be clear, for the safety of passengers and the the broader community in general , background checks should be done. However, the issue I see here is two-fold:

1. The NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission (TLC) already has one of the nation’s most stringent for-hire driver standards (including drug testing) and immediately suspends any TLC driver’s license if any new criminal activity is reported (I have seen this first hand with a TLC driver). Under what circumstance could a NYC TLC driver be allowed to drive for-hire in NYC, but not for Uber?

2. If Uber wants to conduct a background check on ALREADY ACTIVE NYC drivers they need to give a driver notice well ahead of time so they can plan (i.e., maybe a driver decides to take a mini-holiday during those days). In addition, if a driver is ALREADY ACTIVE on Uber’s NYC platform it’s confusing why a background check would take multiple days to conduct?

As the regulator, I believe the NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission (TLC) should inquire with Uber about what exactly went on during this past weekend. Drivers, already nervous about “guilty until proven innocent” deactivations, deserve answers.

AutoMarketplace NYC Newsletter is written by Dawood Mian, Founder of AutoMarketplace. He covers the NYC for-hire transportation industry and related news.

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