California won’t require Uber, Lyft drivers to be fingerprinted

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California regulators won't require ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft to get fingerprinted as part of their background checks to operate in the Golden State. Taxi drivers, however, must be fingerprinted in California.

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), which regulates the ride-hailing industry, said that "after much consideration and debate," criminal background checks on drivers that don't include fingerprint checks are all that will be required, and those checks must be done by an accredited company and performed annually.

The CPUC, however, said Wednesday that it won't require biometric screening because "doing so would not add a greater level of safety." The agency is expected to approve the plan on November 9.

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