Uber says it’s going to start conducting annual background checks for its drivers in an effort to do more to keep riders safe.
While Uber has conducted background checks for years, the company previously only reran those checks in areas where it was required by law. The company will now make annual background checks standard. Uber will also be working with a company that continuously monitors criminal arrests in order to keep information up to date.
Uber’s Safety Advisory Board is also getting an expansion, including its first board chairman: Jeh Johnson, former U.S. secretary of homeland security.
Meanwhile, the app will see updates that include making safety features more accessible during rides, such as a way to easily share trip information with trusted contacts, as well as 911 assistance that can also send trip and location information to authorities.
The changes are among the first big moves by Uber’s new CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, who took over last August after a string of scandals hit the company, which was then led by co-founder Travis Kalanick.
