Uber and Lyft are lobbying Capitol Hill to include sweeping immunity language in the next federal transportation spending bill — while nearly 1,900 sexual assault survivors are demanding that congressional leaders pull it.

The rideshare companies support an amendment to the $580 billion surface transportation reauthorization proposal that would shield them from liability in cases involving car crashes, assaults and sexual harassment.

The legislation would classify firms like Uber and Lyft as operators of digital networks instead of common carriers like bus companies, who currently bear responsibility for their drivers’ conduct. The same legislation preempts state-level regulations that would define rideshare companies as carriers.

If the amendment survives, insurance firms would begin holding rideshare drivers personally responsible for passenger injuries, unless a court decides that rideshare companies engaged in criminal activity or deems them “grossly negligent” — a much higher bar than current law.

Read more at the links below.

Copyright © 2024 OpenPlans/Streetsblog & Streetfilms. All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email as a friend of Streetsblog USA.