The popular ride-share app Uber is reportedly taking strides to enact more comprehensive background checks after its policies allowed individuals with violent criminal convictions to drive for the company.
The move comes after sexual assault or sexual misconduct on an average of every eight minutes. The report also revealed Uber permitted drivers to continue operating within the company after receiving complaints from riders and only banned them after serious allegations were made.
Last year, an illegal immigrant from Lebanon working as an Uber driver in Texas was arrested after allegedly sexually assaulting a 21-year-old woman who was a passenger in his vehicle, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) later lodged an arrest detainer against him.
In 2021, a Florida Uber driver with a lengthy criminal history was arrested after he allegedly raped a 21-year-old woman who caught a ride in his vehicle after a night out with friends.
In light of the growing public concern regarding passenger safety, Uber is planning to change its policies to ban individuals convicted of violent felonies, child or elder abuse and endangerment and sexual offenses from driving for the company, regardless of when the crimes occurred, according to the Times.
Additionally, the company is reportedly changing its policies that include a seven-year cutoff regarding previous charges of less serious crimes, such as harassment or weapons charges.
The company has not provided a timeline of when the changes are expected to go into effect.
"Safety isn’t static, and our approach isn’t, either," an Uber spokesman said in a statement to the Times. "We listen, we learn, we speak with experts and we evolve as the world changes. We believe that’s the hallmark of a healthy, effective safety culture."
Uber did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.