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Report Shows Ex-Cons Can Get Hired As Uber Drivers
Uber may be the faddiest of the new car services available in major cities, but apparently having a criminal record is no obstacle for becoming a driver.
An NBC4 investigation used a woman named Beverly Locke, who has a violent criminal record, to become an Uber driver. Though Locke says in the report that she no longer engages in criminal activity, she admits she once pulled a girl out of a car and nearly beat her to death.
Despite still being on probation, she was hired by Uber after a four-week period. Uber’s email to Locke reads: “Congratulations, your background check has cleared.”
Uber says its drivers undergo an extensive background check and that they disqualify anyone with a criminal record in the past seven years. But the investigation found several several other Uber drivers with criminal records as well, though they don't specify how long ago those crimes occurred. Sounds like Uber could be in danger of gouging customers in more ways than one.
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