Oppose Liability Protection for Rideshare Companies

The BUILD America 250 Act (H.R. 8870), a 5-year transportation bill authorizing $580 billion for highway and rail programs, now includes a provision that would shield companies like Uber and Lyft from lawsuits when passengers are injured, sexually assaulted, or killed at the hands of their drivers.

The amendment, added by Rep. Vince Fong (R-CA) during markup at a House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing, would limit vicarious liability, raising the legal bar to hold rideshare companies accountable for harm caused by drivers on their platforms. Rideshare companies have faced growing legal scrutiny over sexual assault and harassment by drivers, with more than 3,600 cases pending against Uber alone. Attorneys say the bill’s amendment could be used to dismiss sexual assault lawsuits that are already working their way through the courts.

Uber has waged an aggressive campaign to limit their legal exposure on multiple fronts. In 2025, they successfully lobbied for liability-limiting laws in Georgia and California, saving the company hundreds of millions of dollars annually, and earlier this year they bankrolled a California ballot measure campaign to cap attorney fees in accident cases.

At a time when autonomous vehicle services are rapidly expanding and questions of liability are only becoming more complex, Congress should be strengthening oversight of rideshare safety, not providing legislative immunity for billion-dollar companies. Demand your representatives oppose this amendment.