I’m glad you got an off duty Sherrif, Richard. In Mexico, that could’ve been someone that killed a cop, swapped clothes, and was out looking for victims. It’s happened. There, you never hail a cab unless a trusted party calls them for you. Even taxis can be unsafe and lead you on an ATM to ATM ride from hell before being left for dead on the side of the road.

No, we’re not in Mexico, but safety considerations remain. I have and will never take Uber or Lyft until drivers subject themselves to true background checks. Even now, only a fraction of drivers are ever really checked.

I’m all for innovation, but not at the expense of public safety. Uber and Lyft knew all too well that they were embarking in gray area law, but chose to follow through then ask forgiveness. This is true of background checks and employment law, to name a few. They hoped to become so relevant so rapidly that municipalities wouldn’t adapt with agility. Now, these multi-billion dollar companies are strong arming policy change with near unlimited legal and marketing budgets and ill-informed public support from those they “bought” in the process (drivers and riders).

Brilliant strategy, but manipulative and shady.