Boston Police have begun the process of fingerprinting all taxicab drivers licensed to operate in Boston.
The program is intended to ensure the highest standards of safety for the traveling public, according to police.
There are currently over 6,000 active licensees that will undergo the fingerprinting process. Drivers will be required to submit to fingerprinting as part of their annual renewal process.
Boston’s Police Commissioner William Evans now wants ride-sharing drivers, like Uber and Lyft, to be fingerprinted as well.
Cab drivers already face background checks when they renew their licenses each year.
Ride-sharing companies like Uber are not under the regulatory thumb of Boston Police.
David Plouffe, a former strategist for President Obama and now an adviser for Uber, said their drivers won’t be fingerprinted.
"Our problem with fingerprinting is we think it’s discriminatory, meaning there are a lot of people who might have been arrested who were not convicted that will be denied this opportunity," Plouffe said.
Plouffe said he does not expect any security measures to change in the wake of a deadly shooting spree in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
Six people were killed, allegedly by a man who drives for Uber.
Investigators believe he was picking up passengers in between shootings. The suspect is now under arrest and does not have a criminal record.
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