How Lyft and Uber – With More Lobbyists than Amazon, Microsoft, and Wal-Mart Combined – Bought, Bullied, and Bamboozled Their Way Into a Deregulation Free For All

 Posted on March 26, 2021 in Personal Injury

Using unprecedented numbers of lobbyists, rideshare companies have quietly secured legislation (often authored in their own hand) in 41 states that endangers the safety of drivers and riders.

After spending hundreds of millions of dollars lobbying state legislatures, Lyft and Uber have been permitted to operate without any genuine oversight or concern for driver and passenger safety.  Astoundingly, their aggressive lobbying tactics have given these companies license to operate in nearly every city in America with total impunity.

Lyft and Uber’s success in slashing or eliminating safety protections for drivers and passengers is unsurprising, however, in light of the army of lobbyists they have deployed to craft legislation in statehouses nationwide.

In fact, in 2016, lobbyists for Lyft and Uber outnumbered Microsoft, Amazon, and Walmart combined, and their influence on lawmakers has continued unabated – they’ve managed to obtain favorable, protectionist legislation in 41 states.

Their outsized influence over the drafting and implementation of legislation has allowed these ride-share giants to focus on protecting the iconic brands that they have built and to increase the value of their multi-billion dollar publicly traded companies. 

The violent attacks that continue to occur against passengers and drivers – while these companies remain silent – are disturbing. 

Lyft and Uber’s failure to undertake sufficient efforts to protect passengers from dangerous drivers through proper background checks and driver training has only become more evident in recent days. Their failure to update their platforms to allow drivers to fully understand who is getting into the car similarly places their own drivers at risk.

Tomasik Kotin Kasserman represents an Uber driver who was the victim of a vicious sexual assault due to Uber’s failure to provide proper assurances and notice that the perpetrator was not the passenger that she believed she was picking up. 

Attorney Tomasik is fighting in the Illinois Supreme Court in an effort to demonstrate that the State has passed unconstitutional laws that shield Lyft and Uber from liability for sexual assaults unfairly, when the law for 100 years would hold a cab company, limo, or train company responsible for the same act. The legislature has unconstitutionally picked the winner and a loser in the same industry by passing a law that allegedly shields Lyft and Uber from liability, but at the same time would hold Yellow Cab or a transportation company like Greyhound responsible for the same assault. 

Mr. Tomasik recently appeared on CBS Chicago News to discuss this issue.

If you have been assaulted or otherwise injured by a Lyft or Uber driver, Tomasik Kotin Kasserman can help you understand your options for pursuing compensation from a negligent ride-sharing company. Contact us at 312-605-8800 to schedule a free consultation.