Uber Asks Congress for Immunity, Here’s What That Means for Arizona Riders

Millions of people open a rideshare app every day, trusting that a few taps will get them from point A to B safely. In Arizona, sprawled-out metropolitan areas and bustling tourist seasons make rideshare part of daily life for many residents and visitors. That level of trust and dependence isn’t unique to Arizona. Uber alone reported 3.9 billion trips worldwide in the second quarter of 2026, along with 208 million monthly active users on its platform, according to the company’s own earnings report. The number of people entrusting their lives to Uber (and others) is why safety and accountability standards for rideshare companies are so important. A provision now moving through Congress could change what happens when one of those trips goes wrong.

What Uber Is Asking Congress For
A provision added to a federal transportation bill earlier this year would create new legal protections for Uber and Lyft, making it more difficult for victims of sexual assault, wrongful death, and catastrophic crashes to pursue claims against the companies in court. Multiple members of Congress and rideshare safety advocates have identified the amendment as an effort by rideshare companies to limit their liability in these cases.

Survivors and Lawmakers Push Back
Nearly 1,900 survivors of sexual assault signed a letter urging House leadership to remove the provision, according to the American Association for Justice. Members of Congress from both parties have also formally objected to the amendment. The provision has stalled but still has yet to be withdrawn from consideration.

Uber Isn’t the Only One Doing This
Arbitration clauses are built into the fine print of credit card agreements, cell phone contracts, streaming subscriptions, nursing home admission forms, and dozens of other everyday consumer contracts most people never read closely. Research from the Economic Policy Institute found that mandatory arbitration clauses now cover more than 60 million American workers, including more than half of all nonunion employees nationwide.

In 2024, Disney invoked an arbitration clause in a wrongful death lawsuit filed by Jeffrey Piccolo after his wife, Dr. Kanokporn Tangsuan, died from an allergic reaction at a restaurant in Disney Springs near Orlando. Disney argued that Piccolo had waived his right to sue in court under terms he had agreed to years earlier while signing up for a free trial of Disney+, unrelated to the restaurant visit. Disney withdrew that argument after the case drew widespread public attention.

What Arizona Law Can (and Can’t) Do for You

Arizona riders might assume state law already has them covered, and they wouldn’t be wrong to think so. Arizona’s constitution is actually stronger than most states on this issue: Arizona Const. art. II, § 31 explicitly prohibits any law that limits the amount of damages recoverable in injury or death cases. But the federal provision now moving through Congress would operate entirely outside that protection. Because it’s federal legislation, it bypasses Arizona’s constitution altogether, and that’s exactly what makes it worth paying attention to. Both touch the same fundamental question: when someone is seriously hurt or killed, who can be held financially accountable, and for how much?

Tips for Staying Safer When You Rideshare

While the debate plays out in Washington, there are steps you can take right now to protect yourself.

If your app offers a pickup verification code or PIN, use it and have the driver confirm it before you embark.
Check the driver’s overall rating and completed trip count in the app.
If a driver asks you to cancel the trip in the app and arrange the ride directly instead, decline and report it. That’s a known workaround some drivers use to avoid the app’s safety tracking.
Take a screenshot of your trip details, driver info, and license plate in case you need them later.
Avoid sharing your home address, daily schedule, or other personal details in conversation with your driver.
Trust your instincts. If something feels off, ask to be let out at the next safe, public location rather than waiting until arrival at the destination.

Your Ride. Your Rights.
Uber and Lyft have built their businesses around the promise of a safe, convenient way to get around. Whether the legal protections for riders align with that promise is now being debated in Washington, and the outcome could affect injured riders and drivers for years to come. If you or a loved one has been injured in a rideshare accident, contact us today for a free consultation with an experienced personal injury lawyer at Bache Lynch Goldsmith & Mendoza.