JOINT RELEASE: Key Provisions of Rideshare Safety and Accountability Act Go Into Effect
HB26-1424 will keep riders and drivers safe by requiring stronger policies and reporting for TNCs
DENVER, CO – On August 12, 2026, provisions of HB26-1424 go into effect to establish new safety requirements for transportation network companies (TNCs), including Uber and Lyft. The Colorado Rideshare Safety and Accountability Act will ensure TNCs have a robust complaint procedure and driver deactivation policy to keep riders safe.
“With the Colorado Rideshare Safety & Accountability Act beginning to take effect, we are taking a big step to keep riders and drivers safe,” said Rep. Jenny Willford, D-Northglenn. “The driver who sexually assaulted me was using an imposter account, and it’s important TNCs take proactive measures to crack down on account sharing. The portion of the law that is going into effect now will remove drivers from rideshare apps while they are being investigated for rider complaints to help prevent potentially dangerous situations. A sexual assault or misconduct happens in a rideshare nearly every eight minutes, and I’m proud of our efforts to make rideshares safer.”
“Too many women are put at risk in rideshares. We must do everything we can to protect people who use these services,” said Sen. Lisa Cutter, D-Jefferson County. “This law includes measures to require comprehensive vetting, policies against shared driver accounts, and increased accountability for safety complaints to ensure timely protections for drivers and passengers.”
“Coloradans deserve safe, reliable transportation options. Far too many sexual assaults are happening in rideshares, and the Colorado Rideshare Safety & Accountability Act establishes much-needed guidelines to protect riders and drivers,” said Rep. Meg Froelich, D-Englewood. “This law addresses many of the persistent safety concerns with large rideshares, including imposter accounts, drivers with disqualifying criminal histories and driving records. With the driver deactivation requirement going into effect, we are requiring rideshare companies to investigate drivers who have received rider complaints, ensuring that drivers who have committed serious offenses are quickly removed from the app to keep Coloradans safe.”
“Countless Coloradans rely on rideshare services like Uber and Lyft to get to work, school, medical appointments, and home safely after a night out. For many people these services are not simply a convenience, they are a necessity,” said Sen. Katie Wallace, D-Longmont. “This law sends a clear message: convenience cannot come at the expense of safety, and no rider should have to fear for their wellbeing when they get into a vehicle they are trusting to get them home safely.”
The Colorado Rideshare Safety and Accountability Act (HB26-1424) establishes new safety requirements and policies designed to keep riders and drivers safe. The law will apply to large-scale rideshare companies with more than 20,000 monthly rides and does not apply to HopSkipDrive.
Beginning August 12, 2026, the provision of the law for TNCs to have a robust driver deactivation and suspension policy goes into effect. If a TNC receives a complaint about one of their drivers from either a rider or the Public Utilities Commission, the TNC must initiate a review of the driver for potential deactivation of the driver's account within seven business days of receiving the complaint. TNCs must also review drivers for deactivation if law enforcement notifies the TNC about serious felony allegations against the driver, including allegations of violence, sexual misconduct, or stalking. These deactivation reviews must be conducted by a human reviewer, rather than an algorithm.
Beginning January 1, 2027, the rest of the law goes into effect. These provisions include:
Requiring TNCs to procure privately administered background checks on drivers every six months after the initial criminal history record check;
Cracking down on imposter, shared and rented accounts;
Strengthening driver vetting and clear disqualifications, including barring drivers with a history of convictions for assault, harassment, kidnapping, menacing, stalking, or domestic violence, or who had previously been caught account sharing from driving with a rideshare company;
Improving transparency and accountability for TNCs that violate this new law;
Requiring TNCs to establish and enforce certain policies that prevent assault and homicide, prohibit the transportation of certain unaccompanied minors, require food and beverages offered during a ride to be factory-sealed, educate drivers on new safety policies, prevent crimes against drivers by riders and do not allow the collection of any rider or driver biometric data.
More than 15,500 Uber and Lyft riders and drivers were sexually assaulted between 2017 and 2022. This number only represents the number of sexual assaults that were reported. On average, only 30 percent of sexual assaults are reported.
Countless instances of sexual assault have happened in Ubers and Lyfts in Colorado, including a former Denver Lyft driver sentenced to 290 years in prison last year for charges related to kidnapping, sexual assault, and attempted sexual assault of more than a dozen women over four years.
In 2024, an Aurora Lyft driver was sentenced to nine years in prison for sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl. Earlier this year, an Arvada Uber driver was arrested on suspicion of sexual assault against a passenger. Arvada police believe there are likely more victims in this case, as the driver used multiple vehicles over his more than 1,000 rides.