Gov. Jared Polis vetoes bill to tighten security, vetting of ride-share drivers in Colorado

Gov. Jared Polis vetoed legislation Friday that would’ve instituted a slew of new security and reporting requirements on ride-share companies like Uber and Lyft, though he also directed state regulators to take steps to improve rider safety.

In a letter describing his veto of House Bill 1291, the governor acknowledged the need for tighter regulations on ride-share companies. But he was swayed to reject the bill in part because of Uber’s threat to leave the state if the bill were signed into law. He wrote that while he believed ride-share companies could “do more to protect riders and drivers,” HB-1291 “goes beyond a narrowly tailored public safety focus” to include “concerning provisions,” like allowing for trips to be recorded upon request and prohibiting arbitration clauses in rider agreements.

“Together, these changes would jeopardize these services in Colorado to an untenable degree, and could very well lead to companies that Coloradans rely on exiting the market, raising prices, or reducing the number of drivers,” Polis wrote.

HB-1291 passed the legislature earlier this month, on the final day of the 2025 session. It was sponsored by Rep. Jenny Willford, a Northglenn Democrat who was sexually assaulted in the back of a Lyft last year, and it was supported by lawmakers of both parties.

One day after the bill passed, Polis refused to say whether he would sign or veto it. Still, his rejection was expected, and the bill’s supporters — including more than two dozen lawmakers — published an open letter urging him to sign it earlier this week. Another letter was sent from 10 women who were sexually assaulted by the same ride-share driver between 2018 and 2022.

“We are not seeking revenge, nor are we trying to dismantle a multi-billion-dollar industry,” the women wrote. “What we want is simple: to ensure that what happened to us doesn’t happen to someone else.”

The legislation — which would’ve required Uber and Lyft to adopt a number of policy changes to improve passenger safety — was opposed by the ride-share companies, who argued the bill’s requirements were unworkable. In addition to threatening to leave, Uber sought to enlist both drivers and riders to lobby lawmakers to vote against the measure.

Lyft sent Polis a letter several days after the bill passed urging him to veto it, as did other organizations concerned about increased levels of drunk driving should ride-share companies leave.

The measure would’ve required ride-share companies to conduct background checks on their drivers every six months and to allow drivers or riders to request that every trip be recorded. People convicted of certain crimes would’ve been prohibited from working as drivers, and ride-share companies would’ve been directed to deactivate drivers who the companies had determined had likely committed crimes.

The bill also required the companies to report sexual assaults and other misconduct to the legislature on a regular basis. Drivers would’ve been prohibited from sharing accounts, from giving rides to unaccompanied minors without their guardian’s approval, and from offering food or drink to passengers.

Some of those provisions were directly inspired by Willford’s assault: Her driver was a different man than the one on the profile with which she was matched, for instance. She has also said the person who was supposed to be her driver had previously been convicted of a crime that should’ve been caught by Lyft.