Senators press Uber, Lyft to toughen protections against transporting human trafficking victims

A bipartisan group of senators urged chief executives at ride-hailing companies Uber and Lyft to toughen protections against transporting human trafficking victims, in a pair of letters dated Monday.

The push comes after Uber recently launched a new option for teens ages 13-17, allowing them to ride alone for the first time, as well as use the food-delivery service, Uber Eats.  

Previously, Uber guidelines prevented children under 18 from riding alone and encouraged drivers to report any suspected underage riders. The restrictions were not foolproof, however, and many teens still used the app. 

While Uber’s new teen option aims to equip parents with tools for greater supervision, it still marks a departure from the long-held restrictions on rides for minors. 

In separate letters to Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi and to Lyft CEO David Risher, Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) acknowledged the steps both companies have previously taken to combat human trafficking but cited reports that ride-hailing apps have been used for human trafficking. 

In the letter to Khosrowshahi, the senators recognized the new teen option “has benefits, in that it provides parents and guardians with additional reliable transportation options for their children that they can monitor and track.”

But they added, “Given the reported prevalence of ride-hailing apps in sex trafficking, however, we are extremely concerned about the impact this change could have on the trafficking of minors.”

In the letter to Risher, the senators praised various training programs done to help drivers recognize signs of trafficking but said, “Especially given the recent reporting that Lyft has downsized and engaged in cost-cutting measures, we are concerned that the efforts to date are insufficient to address trafficking on the company’s ride-hailing service.”

The senators asked both companies’ chief executives to answer a series of questions on steps used to combat trafficking, on the reporting protocol for incidents of suspected human trafficking, on records kept of incidents, and on resources for riders. The senators also asked for the number of people employed to focus on combatting this issue.

They requested a response by June 26.