A 56-year-old Uber driver in San Francisco was driving two passengers when he had a seizure and lost control of his car Saturday night. The vehicle hit three parked cars, ran over the curb outside the Monarch Hotel and injured a pedestrian who was a guest of the hotel.
Uber responded with a statement: "This driver partner has an outstanding record of service and safety with no prior incidents. Pending a medical review, he has been removed from the Uber platform."
Isn’t it a little late for a medical review?
Traditional San Francisco taxi drivers are required to pass a physical before being allowed to operate and must show proof of this in order to maintain their license. The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) regulates this mandate and maintains the authority to suspend or revoke a taxi driver’s license depending on their physical wellbeing.
No such oversight exists for Transportation Network Companies operating under the California Public Utilities Commission. Which basically means that Californians must wait for an Uber or Lyft driver to crash before learning that he or she may have a physical ailment that diminishes their ability to provide safe taxicab service.
Regulation lite: We’ll just wait for bad stuff to happen.
This incident further proves the need for these unlicensed transportation companies to be regulated. Without regulation, there is no one to oversee these “ridesharing” companies and ensure that the drivers are in good health for themselves, their passengers and pedestrians.
Uber responded with a statement: "This driver partner has an outstanding record of service and safety with no prior incidents. Pending a medical review, he has been removed from the Uber platform."
Isn’t it a little late for a medical review?
Traditional San Francisco taxi drivers are required to pass a physical before being allowed to operate and must show proof of this in order to maintain their license. The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) regulates this mandate and maintains the authority to suspend or revoke a taxi driver’s license depending on their physical wellbeing.
No such oversight exists for Transportation Network Companies operating under the California Public Utilities Commission. Which basically means that Californians must wait for an Uber or Lyft driver to crash before learning that he or she may have a physical ailment that diminishes their ability to provide safe taxicab service.
Regulation lite: We’ll just wait for bad stuff to happen.
This incident further proves the need for these unlicensed transportation companies to be regulated. Without regulation, there is no one to oversee these “ridesharing” companies and ensure that the drivers are in good health for themselves, their passengers and pedestrians.