Uber, Lyft Can Bypass Driver Fingerprinting in California

Uber, Lyft, and other ride-hailing companies operating in California can continue using driver background checks that don’t call for fingerprinting, a state regulator ruled.

The California Public Utilities Commission has taken a closer look at ride-hailing company procedures as it carries out state laws calling for more regulation of the industry. After ride-hailing became regulated in 2014, the commission felt that background checks and other areas needed more scrutiny, Christopher Chow, a commission spokesman, told Bloomberg Law Nov. 13.

Fingerprint-based background checks are a point of contention for the companies. In some jurisdictions, they’ve followed through on pledges to end ...