Applicants are being denied a job with these car services because...

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Car ride services such as Uber and Lyft haven't even made it's way to the Capital Region yet, and something tells me that they still won't be anytime soon. According to State officials, more than 8,000 people who applied to drive for ride services such as Uber and Lyft in our neighboring city Massachusetts have failed a required background check.

62,000 applicants were approved, including some who had applied to drive for both companies. To get approved to become a driver for either company, each applicant needed to get a background check. The background checks were required under a 2016 state law that officials have called the most stringent in the country.

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Of the 8,206 applicants who were denied, reports show that the largest number of applicants were turned away because their license had been suspended, they had been licensed to drive for less than three years, or they had multiple serious driving offenses. More than 300 applicants had felony convictions on their record and 51 were registered sex offenders.

Uber officials criticized the screening process as "unfair and unjust" to drivers. What do you think? Situations like this, prove just how hard it is for convicted felons and sex offenders to find a job for their criminal past, However, I feel as though the main purpose of these background checks is to determine whether or not the applicants can potentially pose a threat to the companies’ customers. Ultimately, they may feel that allowing certain people to work for this job may be risky. I think before these companies completely deny any person based off of their criminal background, make more of an effort to interview these people and hear them out. Someone's past should never be the complete deciding factor of one's future.

If Uber and Lyft are going to continue denying hundreds of applicants, what does that say for expansion into other cities? Why haven't Uber and Lyft been made available to us in the Capital Region yet? And, at this point should we even expect the possibility? Share your thoughts and comments below!

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