Chhaya Néné
Multimedia Journalist
Beverly Locke could be your next UBER driver. But what you don’t know is that Locke is an ex-convict with a wrap sheet that includes burglary, cocaine possession, and violence.
“I pulled a girl out of a car and almost beat her to death,” said Locke.
UBER, a ride share company, says it performs criminal background checks on every driver and disqualifies anyone with a criminal record in the last seven years.
So, Locke agreed to help see if the company actually performed these checks.
But four weeks after Locke applied, has her car inspected, and passed a test, UBER told Locke her background check has cleared and she is now a driver. Locke says she was surprised she passed,
“Somebody could be victimized by a person like me yes.”
Poor background checks are the cause of several problems for UBER customers nationwide. In fact, the company is facing 13 lawsuits across the country. In San Francisco, where the company first began, UBER is being sued by the family of a six-year-old girl who was struck and filled when she was crossing the street.
The company told the family that they were not responsible for their drivers, because drivers are considered independent contractors.
Tanya and Daniel Sackler have also experienced issues with UBER. They say their driver drove off with personal belongings.
When the couple reached out to their driver he said,
“I am not responsible, for what’s in the car. I am not responsible.”
Tanya Sackler says she was furious at the company’s response,
“If I knew that this company treated people this way, I never would have used them.”
Beverly Locke says the lack of proper checks should be concerning to all UBER customers.
“A criminal mind always thinks like a criminal mind. I would pick somebody up, take them to the airport, my second thought would be go back to that house and see what’s in there.”
UBER declined to speak on camera but sent an email saying “UBER leads the industry with best in class background checks for driving and is safer than a taxi.“