A bipartisan group of lawmakers is pushing Hill leadership to strip out a provision from a surface transportation bill that could provide rideshare companies a legal shield from injuries, sexual assaults, or fatalities that occur during rides.
“Congress should ensure that Americans retain their right to seek a remedy in court if a rideshare company fails to protect its customers or drivers,” the group of 21 lawmakers, led by Reps. Derek Tran, D-Calif., and Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., wrote in a letter shared first with Semafor.
They’re objecting to an amendment sponsored by Rep. Vince Fong, R-Calif., that would limit the rideshare companies’ vicarious liability, with exceptions for gross negligence or criminal wrongdoing.
Fong previously promoted it as reducing rideshare costs for consumers by tamping down litigation and noted that companies would still be responsible for their own negligence or misconduct.