BUSINESS

Lyft, Uber say they'll cover legal fees for drivers sued under new Texas abortion law

Kara Carlson
Austin American-Statesman

Rideshare companies Lyft and Uber said they will cover legal fees for their drivers if they are sued under Texas’ new law that bans most abortions in the state — joining a small number of other corporations that have announced actions to oppose the restrictive law.

“A new Texas law, SB8, threatens to punish drivers for getting people where they need to go — specifically, women exercising their right to choose and to access the healthcare they need," Lyft said in a statement. "This law is incompatible with people’s basic rights to privacy, our community guidelines, the spirit of rideshare, and our values as a company." 

Senate Bill 8, a new Texas abortion law signed by Gov. Greg Abbott in May, went into effect Wednesday. It's the most restrictive abortion law in the country, prohibiting abortions as early as the sixth week of pregnancy — before most people know they are pregnant.

More:Austin's Bumble creates relief fund to help those seeking abortions as restrictive Texas law takes hold

Rideshare companies Lyft and Uber said they will cover legal fees for their drivers if they are sued under Texas’ new law that bans most abortions.

The new law, which the U.S. Supreme Court declined to block late Wednesday, allows "any person" to file a civil lawsuit against anyone who provides an abortion or "aids and abets" an abortion after a fetal heartbeat is detected, which can occur at six weeks. If successful, the plaintiff can be awarded a minimum of $10,000. 

Rideshare drivers who transport people to clinics to receive abortions would be at risk under the law. 

Lyft CEO Logan Green said in a series of tweets that the California-based rideshare company will create a Driver Legal Defense Fund to cover 100% of the legal fees for any driver sued under the new law while driving for Lyft. 

“TX SB8 threatens to punish drivers for getting people where they need to go — especially women exercising their right to choose,” Green said.

Shortly after Lyft's announcement, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said in a tweet that the company would also cover legal fees for its drivers if they are sued under the law.

"Right on @logangreen — drivers shouldn’t be put at risk for getting people where they want to go. Team @Uber is in too and will cover legal fees in the same way. Thanks for the push," Khosrowshahi tweeted. 

Lyft also said in a statement that drivers are never responsible for monitoring where a passenger is going or why they are going to a particular destination. In addition, riders never have to justify or share where they are going or why, the company said.

"Imagine being a driver and not knowing if you are breaking the law by giving someone a ride," the company said. "Imagine being a pregnant woman trying to get to a healthcare appointment and not knowing if your driver will cancel on you for fear of breaking a law. Both are completely unacceptable." 

Green also said the company would be donating $1 million to Planned Parenthood and encouraged other companies and individuals to donate. 

“This is an attack on women’s access to healthcare and on their right to choose. @Lyft is donating $1 million to Planned Parenthood to ensure that transportation is never a barrier to healthcare access. We encourage other companies to join us," he said on Twitter. "If you feel compelled to join us as an individual, Planned Parenthood is accepting donations to further this work."

The rideshare companies are among only a few major corporations to take action or speak out against the restrictive new law so far. 

Thursday, Austin-based Bumble took a stand against the law and announced it was creating a relief fund to support reproductive rights and to help people seeking an abortion in Texas. 

Bumble — which operates apps Bumble and Badoo — said it is donating to a number of partner organizations and abortion funds dedicated to reproductive rights. The women-centric company is no stranger to taking political stances, including pushing for legislation in Texas that criminalized the act of sending unsolicited lewd photos. 

“Bumble is women-founded and women-led, and from day one we’ve stood up for the most vulnerable. We’ll keep fighting against regressive laws like #SB8,” the company said in a tweet. 

Shar Dubey, CEO of Dallas-based Match Group, which operates dating websites and apps including Match.com, Tinder and Plenty of Fish also spoke out against the law Wednesday and said she was setting up a fund to help Texas-based employees and dependents seeking abortion care in other states, according to the Dallas Morning News.