By Naomi Lawrence ’17

Since 2010, Uber increasingly has been used by many across the nation and other countries worldwide. This smartphone app allows users to request a car with the tap of a screen. Payments are made through an account on the app, which makes the use of cash unnecessary. In addition, drivers are given the customer’s location upon request, so there is no need to wait around for a cab to hopefully swing by. Used for nearly any occasion, users can be taken virtually anywhere.

Drivers also experience many perks. Though they are responsible for wear and tear on their car, as well as having to pay for gas, they do get to set their own hours. Although drivers are not permitted to receive tips, they are not subject to the same rigid regulations and fees that traditional taxi drivers are. One feature of Uber allows passengers to rate their drivers and vice versa. If anyone, driver or passenger, receives too many poor reviews, the company will de-activate the account.

It’s no wonder Uber is regarded as a leading company of app-based services. However, as the hype about the company grows, more concerns have popped up.

Earlier this year in August, district attorneys in California pressed charges against the company, accusing Uber of not completing adequate background checks on its hired drivers. San Francisco’s District Attorney, George Gascon, pointed out that the database Uber uses to check the records of potential drivers overlooks former criminals. He found 30,000 Uber employees who are registered sex offenders, and were not found in the database. Registered cab companies use a database called Livescan that checks against the sex offender registry, thereby eliminating the possibility of hiring criminals.

In addition, many Uber drivers aren’t considered employees by state law. While claiming “employee” status, one can be entitled to government benefits. However, if drivers refer to themselves as an “independent contractor,” they avoid having to pay income taxes.

There have been several cases where people have been overcharged by Uber drivers. For instance, a woman in Baltimore was charged $362 for a 20-minute ride. Taxis would have charged a fraction of that price.

Uber’s policy also states that they prohibit drivers from giving rides to minors. However, many teenagers use the car service to get home from parties and clubs, rather than driving themselves, or having their parents come and get them. While providing an alternative to prevent drunk driving, common practice contradicts Uber’s own policy.

The Uber policy on accounts states that users must be above the age of 18 and that all information given through the account must be accurate. While this is legally appropriate for the protection of the company against liability, Uber has no methods of checking that all information is correct, and end up giving rides to minors and other people who have accounts under false names.