Illinois Law Requires Background Checks of Ride Share Drivers
"People who use ride-sharing services as a method of transportation deserve to know who's driving the car they're getting into," said State Sen. Daniel Biss, who sponsored the bill that has now become law in the state.
A bill requiring ride-share drivers to provide more personal information for background checks became law in Illinois on Aug. 7 and took effect immediately. The new law, sponsored by State Sen. Daniel Biss, D-Evanston, requires all individuals who are applying to be a driver for a ride-sharing service to provide their full legal name, Social Security number, and date of birth.
"People who use ride-sharing services as a method of transportation deserve to know who's driving the car they're getting into," Biss said in a news release about the measure posted to his office website. "By requiring drivers to provide more than just basic information, ride-sharing companies are now held to the same standard that other licensed transportation services have been held to for years."
Prior to this law, prospective drivers had to provide their address, age, driver's license number, motor vehicle registration, and automobile insurance liability.
According to the release, what sparked his House Bill 4416 was an incident in Biss's district when a ride-share driver was arrested for a suspected DUI with a passenger in their car. That driver had been under court supervision for a previous DUI.