Hannah Metzger
Audio By Carbonatix
There were more than 19,000 reported sexual assault incidents connected to Uber and Lyft rides between 2017 and 2022, according to the companies’ safety reports. Colorado Representative Jenny Willford joined those thousands of victims in February 2024, when she says her Lyft driver sexually assaulted her outside of her Adams County home.
Before the Colorado Legislature ended its session, it passed House Bill 25-1291, a proposed state law intended to strengthen safety requirements for rideshare companies. “One sexual assault is one too many, but 15,000 is a crisis,” Willford said on the House floor on Wednesday, directing a message to rideshare companies: “We are done making you comfortable. We are done letting you bully and silence survivors.”
Uber has threatened to leave the state if the bill is signed into law; Governor Jared Polis is now weighing its fate. If he needs input, he can check the comments on the Westword Facebook post, where consumers offer plenty of suggestions. Says David:
They are doing this in more than one state. Call their bluff.
Adds Fernando:
Let them leave then. They threaten and then end up staying, anyway. Same old playbook.
Counters Dusty:
This bill needs to be vetoed. It’s too much government overreach. There are already laws on the books. I hope Uber shuts down in Colorado if Polis doesn’t veto it.
Counters Stephanie:
Empty threat. If you can’t guarantee the safety of your riders, especially females, then leave.
Responds Alex:
A law that forbids an Uber driver from giving me a bottle of water after Red Rocks is a poorly written one. The law has good intentions but it needs a rewrite.
Concludes Kevin:
Then let them leave. I’m over companies that throw hissy fits.
What do you think of Uber’s threat? The bill itself? Post a comment or share your thoughts at editorial@westword.com.
