DENVER — Gov. Jared Polis on Friday vetoed legislation that would have required ride-share companies to make several changes to the way they operate in the state, but he also directed his administration to work with the bill’s sponsors to improve rider safety.
House Bill 25-1291, introduced by Rep. Jenny Willford a little more than a month after she spoke publicly about her alleged sexual assault by a man pretending to be a Lyft driver, would have required regular background checks of ride-share drivers and would have banned drivers convicted of certain crimes from working for ride-share companies.
Originally, the bill outlined mandatory audio and video recordings of trips, but that provision was watered-down as it moved through the legislature and recordings became optional upon request for both passengers and drivers.
Sponsors of the bill were quick to decry the governor’s veto in a statement obtained by Scripps News Denver following the governor's veto.
“The Governor says he cares about survivors — but actions speak louder than words,” said Reps. Jenny Willford and Meg Froelich and Sens. Faith Winter and Jessie Danielson, sponsors of the bill. “When he had the opportunity to act, he chose to side with convenience and profits of billion-dollar corporations instead of the survivors who shared their horrific experiences over and over again.”
Polis makes case for ‘concerning provisions’ within the legislation
In vetoing the bill, Polis wrote the legislation “goes beyond a narrowly tailored public safety focus and includes a number of concerning provisions,” including a prohibition on arbitration that his office believes “conflicts with the Federal Arbitration Act as well as what he described as inoperable timelines to produce new regulatory rules.
“While I appreciate the sponsors’ intent to ensure the safety of riders and drivers, House Bill 25-1291 (HB 25-1291) would impose unworkable regulations on Transportation Network Companies (TNCs), and potentially jeopardize their continued operation in Colorado,” Polis wrote in his letter of the veto.
Polis said that forcing ride-share companies like Uber and Lyft to comply with the new regulations “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.”
He argued language in the bill around audio-visual recording was likely unworkable for both the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) and the ride-share companies and would have put the law in direct conflict with other state privacy laws while making compliance a challenge.
He also argued that other provisions in the bill that would have prohibited arbitration clauses in rider agreements was likely preempted by federal law.
“I fear victims attempting to bring a claim in court in reliance of this bill will have their claims dismissed based on federal law and the arbitration clauses in the user terms and agreements, causing substantial delay in victims achieving relief from the TNCs,” Polis said, arguing provisions around deactivating drivers accused of a crime “limit due process” and put ride-share companies “in the position of judge and jury.”
“I am also troubled that, despite expanding the disqualifying criteria for drivers based on some types of criminal history, the bill decreases the amount of time between when a DUI has occurred and when a driver can again get behind a rideshare wheel, which could actually make TNCs less safe, the opposite of the intent of the legislation,” Polis added.
Ride-share companies vehemently opposed the bill, with Uber announcing back in April it would have “no choice” but to end operations in Colorado if the bill became law.
In a statement at the time, Uber said the bill undermines “proven safety practices, clashes with federal law, and adds costly burdens without making Colorado riders or drivers safer."
Earlier this month, Lyft wrote a letter to Polis formally requesting a veto, stating the legislation left "the future of Lyft's operations in Colorado uncertain,” and pointed to language in the legislations that would actually make it easier for "individuals with recent DUIs" to drive on the platforms.
That same day, 10 of the 12 identified survivors who were attacked by a man pretending to be a rideshare driver in Denver wrote to the governor, urging him to sign the bill into law.
"I realize that no industry ever wants to be regulated, and every industry that has gone through this pushes back. But that doesn't mean that we shouldn't do it,” one of the survivors, Erika Rinnert, told Scripps News Denver earlier this month. “Safety should never be a question."
In the letter sent to Polis' office, the survivors said that they did not want to force ride-share companies out of Colorado. Instead, they said, "a ride home should have to live up to its promises and enact basic safety measures with accountability when those measures fail."
The survivors ended the letter by pleading with Polis to "put politics aside — just long enough to do what is right."
Polis directs state regulators to improve rider safety
Though Polis vetoed the bill, he directed his administration to “take active steps, in partnership with the sponsors and proponents of HB 25-1291, to enhance rideshare safety” and also challenged ride-share companies to do more to protect riders and riders, “including being more transparent about their rights, and more vigorous in preventing serious crimes.”
“The status quo isn’t sufficient. Enhancing criminal record checks for drivers and preventing bad actors, including impersonators, from getting behind the wheel are commonsense steps we can and should take, and steps we can address now,” Polis wrote.
To address those concerns, Polis said he would direct the Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA) to work with sponsors of the bill and other interested stakeholders “to identify shared policy objectives that can be achieved through immediate executive action and through targeted legislative policy during the 2026 legislative session.”
Beyond that, Polis said he would be directing DORA to work with the PUC to review their current rules for ride-share companies and strengthen them where “authority currently exists – with a particular focus on safety specifically including strengthened driver impersonation and penalties.”
Polis also requested the PUC to consider performing enhanced audits to make sure ride-share companies were complying with background check requirements and “previous commitments made by the TNC industry to exceed the baseline statutory requirements.”
In his veto letter, Polis made it clear that the PUC is the primary industry watchdog and regulator of these types of companies and “is where consumers should direct complaints.”
“As such, I am directing DORA to work with PUC to conduct additional outreach to ensure consumers are aware of the PUC’s regulatory role and how to file complaints,” Polis said.
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