Tens of thousands of drivers for ride-hailing companies Uber and Lyft will begin undergoing what Massachusetts officials are calling the most stringent background checks for the industry in the United States.
The checks, set to launch today, are designed in part to make sure a driver isn’t a registered sex offender and will be overseen by a newly created division of the state Department of Public Utilities. A few ride-hailing drivers have been charged with rape, sexual assault and assault with intent to murder in Massachusetts.
Under an agreement struck with the companies, San Francisco-based Uber and Lyft will perform multi-state commercial criminal and driving background checks for each driver operating in Massachusetts. The companies also will check drivers against the Department of Justice’s National Sex Offender Public Website.
Any driver who fails the check must be disqualified.
The driver information will be sent to the Department of Public Utilities, which will run each name through the state’s criminal and sex offender registries and warrant management system. The department then will check each driver’s record with the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles.
The agreement also requires the companies to perform checks of driving records for all their drivers in Massachusetts twice a year.
Gov. Charlie Baker said the agreement will help guarantee the safety of the riding public.
“This agreement will set a national standard for the most comprehensive state background checks for (ride-hailing company) drivers,” Baker, a Republican, said when he unveiled the agreement in November.