Quinnipiac University in Connecticut has banned the ridesharing service Uber from its campus last week over concerns of lack of safety and regulation.
The school's Public Safety office has advised the private taxi service not to pick up students on campus due to safety precautions, according to The Quinnipiac Chronicle.
The university has determined that Uber does not comply with the state's taxi laws and regulations and it "questions the extent of background checks the service pursues on its drivers," Campus Reform reported. Because Uber is a private company, state taxi laws and regulations do not apply to them.
David Barger, chief of Public Safety, said Uber's national independence from taxi companies regulated by Connecticut state laws was enough to raise concern.
"What it comes down to it, under Connecticut state laws, [state taxi drivers] basically need a taxi license, an endorsement and a background check," Barger told The Quinnipiac Chronicle.
In Connecticut, taxicabs themselves, like the drivers, also have to pass a background check to be able to serve the public.
"Heat, air conditioning, all that type of thing, ensures a [state] taxi license, plus you have to have a meter in the taxi," Barger said. "Uber right now, to the best of my knowledge, doesn't [require] any of that. Basically you're in a private vehicle -- they have no endorsement to additional insurance. You really don't know who's driving you."
According to Uber's website, "Every ridesharing and livery driver is thoroughly screened through a rigorous process we've developed using industry-leading standards. This includes a three-step criminal background screening for the U.S. -- with county, federal and multi-state checks that go back as far as the law allows -- and ongoing reviews of drivers' motor vehicle records throughout their time on Uber."
Jennifer Wank, a fourth-year physical therapy major, told The Quinnipiac Chronicle that if she would consider using Uber if she did not have her car on campus.
"[Public Safety is] here to ensure our safety, so if they aren't approving of it I guess there's reason," Wank said. "If I heard people using it and were fine, though, I would."
Quinnipiac University's recent ban has caught the attention of the Yale University community, "sparking questions ... over the service's practices and safety," according to Yale Daily News.
However, the Ivy League school has made no mention of any plans to ban the service.
