U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville, R-Alabama, introduced legislation last week that would require rideshare drivers who work for companies with federal contracts to be proficient in English.

The Understanding Basic English Requirements, or UBER, Act aims to strengthen rider safety by ensuring drivers can read and speak English, aligning rideshare standards with federal Commercial Driver’s License requirements according to a news release. Platforms that fail to comply would be barred from federal contracts for five years.

“America is an English-speaking country,” Tuberville said in the release. “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. Rideshare companies, especially those that receive taxpayer funding, have an obligation to vet the drivers who are transporting American citizens on our roads. I’m proud to introduce this legislation as another guardrail to keep Americans safe on the road.”

The bill outlines specific requirements for drivers under federal contracts. Drivers must be able to:

• Converse with the general public and law enforcement in English

Rideshare companies must certify that all drivers meet these requirements, and any company found in violation would face a five-year debarment from federal contracts. The legislation also requires rideshare platforms and drivers to follow the same standards as commercial drivers with a CDL. Drivers who are deaf or hearing impaired and use American Sign Language would be exempt from the English requirement.

Tuberville has made transportation safety a legislative priority. Last month, he introduced the Secure Commercial Licensing Act, which would require all commercial driver license testing to be conducted exclusively in English after recent accidents involving drivers with limited English proficiency.

The full text of the UBER Act is available at www.tuberville.senate.gov/newsroom/.