UBER, AUSTIN & SEXUAL ASSAULT

Austin, Texas police are reportedly investigating seven separate sexual assaults by Uber and Lyft drivers against their passengers. Five for Uber. Two for Lyft.

Seven sexual assaults—that’s a great deal of pain inflicted on one city.

The Austin City Council is mulling a proposal that would newly require Uber and Lyft drivers to undergo fingerprint-based criminal background checks. Seems sensible and it is.

Uber, of course, opposes this measure. It’s increasingly willing to admit it does so for business reasons—prospective part-time drivers just don’t go for the whole visiting-the-police-station thing. They might bag the idea if you ask them to get fingerprinted, Uber explains.

These business concerns seem crass to the point of obscene given what’s at stake.

Media, consumers and lawmakers are aware that Uber drivers are reported to be sexually assaulting passengers at a ghastly rate.

What you may not know is that the California District Attorneys (suing Uber over passenger safety) have painstakingly tracked and commented on Uber’s public responses to these “incidents” of assault in their lawsuit.

Here’s what the California DA’s said: “During 2014 and 2015 Uber has consistently repeated its misleading statements about the quality of its background checks and commitment to safety in response to a series of well-publicized incidents.”

In short, San Francisco and Los Angeles are warning cities across America that Uber lies when confronted with these incidents of assault.

Take heed, Austin.