Uber, Lyft And Taxis Debate Fingerprint Rule At Atlanta City Hall

The Uber and Lyft drivers, dressed in bright blue and pink shirts, spoke to the Atlanta City Council’s transportation committee about the benefits of ride-booking services and said they worried about the negative effects of the law.  

“To be honest with you, if I was told that I had to give my fingerprint, I probably would have been a little less likely to drive for Lyft,” said Amber Holifield, addressing the committee.

That’s why fingerprinting concerns ride-booking companies, representatives of Lyft and Uber said at the meeting. Going to a government building to submit fingerprints would be a burden for potential drivers, who already work a full-time job during the week.

Plus, Uber’s Southeast public policy manager Trevor Theunissen said the company’s background check process is just as effective.

“We have asked to hear the alleged merits of fingerprinting but have yet to see or are unaware of any evidence they presented demonstrating that fingerprints provide an additional security beyond what we currently do,” Theunissen said to the committee.

Plenty of cab and limousine drivers stood up to address the council members, many supporting the new requirements for ride-booking services. Taxi driver Abdi Ahmed said an international airport needs the safety measure.

“This is a common sense. Everyone should get fingerprinted. We taxi drivers are already getting fingerprinted,” Ahmed said after the meeting.

Indeed, in designing the rules for ride-booking services, the airport said it was just applying requirements already imposed on taxi and limousine companies.

Hartsfield-Jackson spokesperson Reese McCranie said that Uber already complies with the fingerprinting rule at Houston’s airport.

“The notion that having a background check for Uber drivers does not work doesn’t hold water for me because several airports, large airports in the U.S., require background checks and they work just fine,” McCranie said.

Still, Uber’s Theunissen said more than 50 other airports, including Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., leave the fingerprint requirement out.

The committee will consider the ordinance again next month. If the ordinance is ultimately passed with the fingerprint rule and other restrictions on ride-booking drivers, Theunissen said Uber will stop offering airport pickups.