(WDNews) – U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville has introduced the Understanding Basic English Requirements (UBER) Act, a bill that would require rideshare drivers working for companies with government contracts to be proficient in English.
The proposal aims to improve passenger safety by aligning rideshare driver requirements with existing federal Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) standards. Under the act, rideshare platforms with drivers who cannot read or speak English would be barred from receiving federal contracts for five years.
“America is an English-speaking country,” Tuberville said. “If you want to live and work in the United States, you need to be able to speak and read our language. Too many Americans have been killed as a result of relaxed standards and illegal immigrants who do not speak or read English and are driving on our roads.”
The UBER Act would require drivers to communicate with law enforcement in English, understand traffic signs, and complete reports in English. Noncompliant companies would lose eligibility for federal funding for five years.
Tuberville said the bill is part of his broader effort to strengthen transportation safety nationwide.
