PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Reports over the last few months have indicated that several drivers who work for ride-hailing services Uber and Lyft have been accused of sexually assaulting passengers.
Mirvan Dinler, an Uber driver, faces rape charges, accused of following a Villanova University student to her dorm room and attacking her after driving her home. In a video posted on the Instagram account Watch Out Philly, what appears to be a driver engaging in a lewd act can be seen during the ride.
Another driver in Philadelphia was charged after allegedly attacking a female in his car at a gas station.
Spokespersons for both Uber and Lyft say drivers go through an extensive verification process for federal-, state- and county-level requirements before they are accepted to drive for the companies.
Uber says it runs an initial background check on new drivers, and then annually as long as they continue with the company. And they use a third-party company to alert them to new criminal offenses that pop up.
If someone is convicted of a crime, the company says it will disqualify the driver. Uber would not say whether they monitor arrests.
Lyft says it screens every driver for both criminal charges and driving infractions, and then continuously monitors those drivers through a third-party company called Checkr. However, when repeatedly asked if they monitor arrest records, Lyft would not say so.
Both companies also frequently check the sex offender registry lists in all 50 states.
Many of the guidelines for both companies are laid out in state law.