1. United States
2. Ohio
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to oppose any provision in the BUILD America 250 Act or related transportation legislation that would give Uber, Lyft, or other rideshare companies special protection from lawsuits. Rideshare companies should not receive a federal liability shield when passengers, drivers, pedestrians, or other members of the public are harmed. Courts should be able to evaluate the facts of each case under state law, including whether a company’s policies, screening practices, supervision, or platform design contributed to an injury or assault. This proposal would reportedly limit vicarious liability and raise the legal bar for holding rideshare companies accountable, including in cases involving serious injuries and sexual assault. More than 3,600 sexual assault and harassment cases are already pending against Uber alone, according to 5 Calls. Creating a federal shield now would move accountability away from large corporations and onto individual victims, drivers, and state courts. I oppose using a transportation bill to quietly preempt state liability laws or weaken victims’ ability to seek justice. If companies profit from arranging rides at national scale, they should also be legally accountable when their business practices create foreseeable risks. Please oppose any rideshare lawsuit immunity provision, remove this language from the bill, and protect the right of injured people to seek accountability in court.