ICYMI: Semafor Exclusive: Representatives Tran, Luna Want Rideshare Liability Shield Dropped

Washington, DC – In case you missed it, Semafor published an exclusive article highlighting U.S. Representatives Derek Tran (D-CA-45) and Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL-13) leading 25 members in a letter to Speaker Mike Johnson and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries raising the alarm about a section in the surface transportation reauthorization bill, the BUILD America 250 Act (H.R. 8870) , that would give rideshare companies immunity from any injury, sexual assault, or fatality that happens during a ride.
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“Congress should ensure that Americans retain their right to seek a remedy in court if a rideshare company fails to protect its customers or drivers. Uber alone received a report of sexual assault or sexual misconduct every 8 minutes over a 5-year period. Now they are facing more than 3,000 sexual assault claims in Federal and State Courts nationwide from passengers who claim they were sexually assaulted or harassed by Uber drivers. Our constituents deserve better,” wrote the members.
Introduced by Representative Fong (CA-20), the relevant section of the BUILD America 250 Act would ensure that rideshare companies “shall not be liable under the law of any State or political subdivision thereof [...] for any harm to persons or property that results or arises out of the use, operation, or possession of a motor vehicle by an app-based driver,” protecting companies from legal liability even when presented with concerning information about a driver in a criminal background check, motor vehicle background check, customer complaint, safety test, or internal complaint.
Semafor: Lawmakers Want Liability Shield Dropped
By Nicholas Wu
A bipartisan group of lawmakers is pushing Hill leadership to strip out a provision from a surface transportation bill that could provide rideshare companies a legal shield from injuries, sexual assaults, or fatalities that occur during rides.
“Congress should ensure that Americans retain their right to seek a remedy in court if a rideshare company fails to protect its customers or drivers,” the group of 21 lawmakers, led by Reps. Derek Tran, D-Calif., and Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., wrote in a letter shared first with Semafor.
They’re objecting to an amendment sponsored by Rep. Vince Fong, R-Calif., that would limit the rideshare companies’ vicarious liability, with exceptions for gross negligence or criminal wrongdoing.
Fong previously promoted it as reducing rideshare costs for consumers by tamping down litigation and noted that companies would still be responsible for their own negligence or misconduct.

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