Uber, Lyft drivers seek more safety as rising crime keeps many people off the streets

“Money is great right now,” said the 63-year-old. “But it’s not worth it to have someone hold a gun to your head.”

Ride-sharing companies Uber Technologies Inc. And Lyft Inc.—which was already battling a driver shortage due to COVID-19 concerns—is battling a rise in violent crimes and implementing new safety measures and policies to better protect themselves. The drivers are still there on their system. Despite huge bonuses from companies and the end of temporary unemployment benefits given to gig workers, drivers are not returning as quickly as consumers.

Overall murder crimes in the US increased by more than 20% in 2020 compared to 2019, according to data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Law-enforcement agencies say crimes continue to rise this year.

While the companies declined to share data on attacks on their drivers, available data in some cities shows that drivers are on the rise in carjackings, homicides and other violent crimes. According to a spokesman for the city police, in Minneapolis, 494 carjackings were reported as of November 11, a 279% increase from the incidents reported in 2019. Ride-share drivers accounted for 11% of those cases. In Chicago, a police spokesman said there was a 36 percent increase in carjackings as of November 10 compared to the same period last year. In Oakland, Calif., official data show carjackings through November 7 were up 85% compared to the same period last year and 144% from the comparable 2019 period.

This year ride-share and food-delivery drivers were shot and killed in Washington, D.C., St. Louis, Michelville, MD, and other cities.

Companies are taking steps to address the rise in crime but some drivers feel they need to do more.

“It’s an absolute crisis,” said Lenny Sanchez, Illinois director of the Independent Drivers Guild, a driver-driven group preventing drivers from getting back to work.

Ride-sharing apps have long had security measures—for example, Uber has an emergency button that connects drivers to 911 and shares their GPS coordinates with dispatchers—and they’re adding more. Lyft has a similar feature. Both companies are adding more.

Earlier this year, Uber and Lyft made it mandatory for riders who don’t use payment methods like gift cards to upload government IDs. This summer, Uber endorsed a program to offer cash prizes to people who know about carjackers in and around Chicago. Over the past 18 months, Lyft has more than doubled the number of its team responding to data requests from law enforcement.

“We are committed to doing everything we can to help keep drivers safe,” said Lyft spokeswoman Ashley Adams. “Violent crime, including carjacking, is on the rise across the United States.”

Later this month, Uber plans to test a new safety feature that allows drivers and riders to record audio as they travel.

“You will continue to see us do more and more,” said Sachin Kansal, Uber’s vice president of product management. He said his team was doing “a ton of work”, especially during the recent crime surge, to understand how they can make drivers feel safe.

Last month, lnstacart Inc. said it launched in-app alerts to its grocers about crime or security incidents near their locations, and DoorDash Inc. launched an emergency hotline for its drivers.

Drivers are doing everything possible for their safety. Some will only operate during the day or pick up passengers from the airport. Others have started wearing bulletproof jackets, according to Mr. Sanchez.

Drivers say they want Uber, Lyft and others to strengthen safety measures for drivers so that they are on par with those available to riders.

Drivers typically go through background checks, which include a criminal history check at the time of signing up. They are often required to take selfies at work to prove that they are driving.

Travelers, on the other hand, can create accounts using false names as the apps do not require them to disclose their identity. Unlike drivers, they are not required to upload photos, making it easy for wrongdoers to pose as passengers or misuse existing accounts.

Customer background checks are used in other industries. Home-sharing giant Airbnb Inc. requires US travelers to upload ID and check their information against criminal databases and sex-offender registers.

Families of killed drivers say knowing those details could mean the difference between life and death. In August 2019, Uber driver Beaudoin Tchakounte and a passenger were shot dead by a rider who used the app to appreciate a shared ride. The rider had a criminal history in 1997, police records show, and was later convicted of these murders.

His family says that if Uber had implemented the same checks used to filter out potentially problematic drivers on passengers, Mr. Tchakounte, a father of four, could have been spared. Cassandra Porsche, a lawyer suing Uber on behalf of the family, says companies have a duty to protect their drivers, even if they are not employees under the law.

Uber petitioned earlier this year to have the lawsuit dismissed, saying that “the law simply does not recognize this standard, nor is there any support for such a duty.” A judge has yet to rule on Uber’s request.

Ride-sharing companies say background checks are not required for other forms of transportation such as trains and planes, saying they are heavily regulated, expensive and time-consuming.

Mr Sanchez of the Independent Drivers Guild – a former ride-share driver who stopped driving due to health concerns and crime – says his organization wants riders to upload selfies from time to time, as do drivers. So companies know that their accounts are not being misused.

Uber driver Lucas Chamberlain, 37, in San Francisco was kicked out in March after a male passenger asked for an ID. The passenger appeared to be under 18, she said, and companies do not allow minors to travel alone. Mr Chamberlain gave up driving after the attack. He wants the age of the passengers to be checked and their photos displayed on the app so that drivers know who to unlock their cars for.

“It is not fair that these companies show our faces to customers and we cannot see their faces,” he said.

The companies say they can’t force riders to upload their photos on the app.

Some drivers say companies may be slow to respond when they ask for help. Chicago driver Mr Liner says he reached out to Lyft after being carjacked to request the deactivation of his rider and driver accounts. A Lyft representative assured them they would be, he said.

Mr Liner says his account was not deactivated until late the next morning. Carjackers used their accounts to order Lyft rides overnight, according to ride receipts seen by The Wall Street Journal. Another driver was crushed in the process.

Lyft said it was looking into delays in deactivating Mr. Liner’s account.

This story has been published without modification in text from a wire agency feed