Uber reacts to Tuberville bill aimed at making rideshare services English-only

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - A major ridesharing service that saw its name co-opted as part of U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s new legislation to push English-only communications in the industry is speaking out.

Tuberville, R-AL, rolled out the Understanding Basic English Requirements ACT, or UBER Act for short, on Thursday. His office said the bill is aimed at strengthening the safety of rideshare users.

A spokesperson for Uber reacted to the bill on Friday, telling WSFA 12 News “every person who drives on Uber must hold a valid driver’s license, provide their Social Security number, and pass comprehensive motor vehicle record and criminal background checks before they can accept trips on the platform.”

The spokesperson added that “safety is a core priority at Uber, reflected in the fact that the motor vehicle fatality rate on our platform is substantially lower than the national average.”

While the bill’s acronym plays off Uber’s name, it would not be limited to that single company. It would require all drivers under any rideshare service to be able to read and speak English.

“America is an English-speaking country,” Tuberville said. “If you want to live and work in the United States, you need to be able to speak and read our language.”

The bill aims to ensure that all rideshare drivers can converse with the general public and law enforcement officials, understand highway traffic signs, respond to official inquiries, and write reports and records, all in English.

These new rules would align rideshare hiring standards with all federal Commercial Driver’s License requirements. In October, Tuberville introduced the Secure Commercial Licensing Act, requiring all CDL testing to be done in English only.

“Too many Americans have been killed as a result of relaxed standards and illegal immigrants who do not speak or read English and are driving on our roads,” the senator said. “Rideshare companies, especially those that receive taxpayer funding, have an obligation to vet the drivers who are transporting American citizens on our roads. I’m proud to introduce this legislation as another guardrail to keep Americans safe on the road.”

Uber pushed back, saying its drivers “drive more safely than the general public,” and stating that the company’s motor vehicle traffic fatality rate is “significantly lower than the national average” per 100 million vehicle miles traveled.

The company said its drivers are re-screened annually and are subject to continuous background checks for new offenses.

“Drivers and riders are rated,” Uber said, “and we remove people who are not able to provide an excellent service.”

Services that don’t comply with the proposed UBER legislation would be prohibited from receiving federal contracts for five years under Tuberville’s bill.

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