Uber updates policy to prohibit drivers, passengers, from carrying firearms
Uber has officially changed its firearms policy to prohibit drivers and passengers from carrying firearms during the course of any transportation arranged through the app. Previously, the language in Uber's weapons policy required drivers and riders to "abide by local, state and federal laws" related to transporting guns inside vehicles, but it did not ban them outright.
The new policy is posted under the Legal section of its website and reads:
We seek to ensure that everyone using the Uber digital platform—both driver-partners and riders—feels safe and comfortable using the service. During a ride arranged through the Uber platform, Uber and its affiliates therefore prohibit possessing firearms of any kind in a vehicle. Any rider or driver found to have violated this prohibition may lose access to the Uber platform.
A spokesperson from Uber spoke to The New Republic, quoting verbatim from the new policy:
We have adopted a no-firearms policy to ensure that both riders and drivers feel safe and comfortable on the platform. We made this policy change after assessing existing policies and carefully reviewing recent feedback from both riders and driver-partners.
And "recent feedback" could be the most euphemistic way to refer to an April incident in which an Uber driver with a concealed carry permit shot an armed man who had opened fire on a crowd in Chicago's Logan Square. The driver – who was never identified – did not face charges, as the Assistant State's Attorney argued that he had acted in the defense of himself and others. The 47-year-old driver did not have any passengers in his vehicle at the time of the shooting.
Lyft, Uber's main ride-sharing rival, has always had a strict No Weapons policy, that extends beyond firearms to prohibit any item that the company decides could constitute a weapon. "We approach this issue from a community perspective," Lyft's website reads. "It's hard to know what someone else is or isn't comfortable with."