Uber in hot seat after probe finds violent offenders were cleared to drive passengers: report
The Uber logo is displayed on a car on March 22, 2019, in San Francisco. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
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 an investigation conducted by The New York Times uncovered the company’s revealed policies allowing drivers to continue working despite having previous criminal convictions, including violent felonies.
Uber previously banned drivers convicted of murder, terrorism, sexual assault and kidnapping from operating within the company.
However, the Times report concluded that, in 22 states, Uber had approved drivers convicted of other serious crimes — such as child abuse, stalking and assault — as long as the convictions were at least seven years old.
Uber reportedly cleared individuals with past criminal histories to drive for the company in at least 22 states as long as the convictions were more than seven years old. (Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
Uber previously said the seven-year cutoff "strikes the right balance between protecting public safety and giving people with older criminal records a chance to work and rebuild their lives," according to the Times.
The outlet’s investigation revealed that, from 2017 to 2022, Uber received a report of 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, according to FOX 26.
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The victim reportedly said she fell asleep in Sameh Mohamad Chami’s vehicle and woke up in the front seat while the car was parked with her shorts unbuttoned. She told police she remembers Chami putting his hand down her pants.
Chami was arrested by local authorities Aug. 6, 2025, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) later lodged an arrest detainer against him.
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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.
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"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.