Astorino: “The public has a right to know …”
WHITE PLAINS – New state legislation requiring fingerprinting for rideshare drivers only applies to New York City and without it, Westchester County Executive Robert Astorino was going to block the service in his county.
He has reached agreement with executives from Lyft and Uber that will create a voluntary pool of fingerprinted drivers from which the companies could hire drivers.
“Our goal was to find the right balance between safety and convenience,” said Astorino. “Ride-sharing companies provide the public with an important transportation option. But if that convenient ride is not safe, it’s not really an option at all.”
The new county program, the first of its kind in the country, is dubbed “Thumbs Up.” Participating drivers whose fingerprints show they have no criminal record will be issued a “Thumbs Up” decal by the county to be posted on their windshield to alert customers that their driver has undergone that level of screening.
“Ride sharing is not supposed to be hitchhiking with an app,” Astorino said. “The public has the right to know that the driver picking them up has been fully screened for a criminal record. The ‘Thumbs Up’ sticker in the windshield will tell riders that their driver has gone through the most complete background check. That’s a level of protection Westchester riders deserve.”
