Uber's Failure To Suspend Suspected Drunken Drivers Could Mean $1.1 Million Penalty

BAY AREA, CA – The California Public Utilities Commission has begun considering whether to impose a $1.1 million fine on an Uber subsidiary for failing to carry out the immediate suspension of drivers suspected of drunk or drugged driving.

The San Francisco-based commission announced on Wednesday that it opened the proceeding against Rasier-CA LLC, which operates Uber's cellphone-based ride-booking service in California.

A regulation enacted by the commission in 2013 requires ride-booking services, known to the CPUC as transportation network companies, to suspend "promptly" any drivers suspected of driving while under the
influence. The suspension must last until further investigation is completed.

The CPUC said its Consumer Protection and Enforcement Division reviewed 154 complaints of DUI driving made between August 2014 and August 2015 and found that "Rasier failed to suspend and/or investigate drivers in 151 cases."

The consumer division is recommending a penalty of $7,500 per violation, for a total of $1,132,500.

The 154 complaints reviewed were part of a larger pool of 2,047 driving-under-the-influence complaints the Uber subsidiary received that year. Uber said it deactivated drivers in 574 of those cases.

The next step in the proceeding will be a hearing before an administrative law judge, who will decide whether to agree with imposing a fine and whether it would be the proposed amount or a different amount. The judge's recommendation will then go before the full five-member commission.

The commission said in its order announcing the proceeding, "Failure to suspend a driver promptly after receiving a zero tolerance complaint is a serious violation of the transportation network company rules
because it places passengers and the public at immediate risk."

Uber spokeswoman Eva Behrend said in a statement today, "We have zero tolerance for any impaired driving as outlined in our Community Guidelines.

"This report relates to complaints in 2014 and 2015 and we've significantly improved our processes since then," she said.

The San Francisco-based company's online Community Guidelines say the company does not tolerate any use of alcohol or drugs by drivers while driving.

"The account of any driver found to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol while using the Uber app will be permanently deactivated," the guidelines say.

"Uber may also deactivate the account of any driver who receives several unconfirmed complaints of drug or alcohol use," the document says.

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--Bay City News/Photo Credit: Justin Sullivan / Getty Images News / Getty Images