Colorado Reopens Debate on Rideshare Safety Rules and Seeks Public Input

Colorado regulators and lawmakers are once again examining rideshare safety regulations, reopening a conversation that stalled last year after a proposed bill was vetoed by Gov. Jared Polis. This time, state agencies are asking for direct feedback from riders, drivers, and the broader community as new rules are developed.

The renewed focus comes as both regulatory and legislative leaders revisit how rideshare safety is handled statewide, particularly following incidents that raised concerns about accessibility, impersonation, and rider protection.

Accessibility concerns remain part of the discussion

For Denver resident Dishon Spears, the issue is personal. Spears, who is blind, relies on his guide dog, Rogue, to get around. While Rogue has been part of his life only since July, Spears says rideshare trips have not always been smooth.

“She’s learning me, I’m learning her,” said Spears.

Spears said traveling with Rogue has led to repeated ride denials.

“I was denied three times for [having] a guide dog, just coming to work and going to a friend’s house and just, you know, doing the things that I want to do as a blind person,” he said.

Spears said he has heard similar stories from older adults he works with at the Colorado Center for the Blind. Ride denials involving service animals are one of several concerns regulators say they want to better understand as new rules are considered.

Regulators revisit safety recommendations

The Colorado Public Utilities Commission, which regulates companies such as Uber and Lyft in the state, is leading the regulatory review. According to the PUC, Colorado was the first state in the country to establish localized rideshare regulations in 2014.

PUC Director Rebecca White said a recent sunset review of the agency examined what additional steps could be taken if lawmakers authorize new statutory changes.

“An overall review of the Public Utilities Commission that was recently conducted, called the sunset review, took a look at a series of recommendations on what more we could do if there were statutory changes, so that would give us (the) ability to put in some additional measures,” White said.

One of the key concerns raised in the 2025 sunset review involved so-called imposter drivers, situations in which the person driving a rideshare vehicle is not the same individual listed in the app.

“That is very much a behavior we don’t want to see out there, and that is a lot of the focus for the rulemaking we have out now,” White said.

Lawmakers return to legislation after veto

On the legislative side, State Rep. Meg Froelich is preparing to introduce new rideshare legislation during the current session. Last year, a rideshare safety bill was vetoed by Gov. Polis, who said the proposal would impose what he described as unworkable regulations on companies such as Uber and Lyft.

The veto followed strong opposition from rideshare companies, including warnings from Uber that it could leave Colorado if the bill became law.

“We were hugely disappointed,” Froelich said about the veto.

The earlier legislation, House Bill 25-1291, included provisions such as regular background checks and restrictions on drivers distributing food or drinks to passengers. It initially required audio and video recording of trips, later allowing recording only with consent from both drivers and passengers.

The bill was introduced after State Rep. Jenny Willford shared her own experience. Willford was sexually assaulted in February 2024 by a man posing as a Lyft driver, according to a lawsuit filed against the company.

Following the veto, Gov. Polis directed lawmakers to continue exploring policy changes in the next legislative session.

“The good news is, as we ask for some of these things, we can say, ‘Well, they’re already doing this in this city or this country or this state, or these procedures are clearly implementable because they’re already being done in other places,’” Froelich said. “So we’ve got that going for us.”

Public input now part of the process

As regulators work on updated safety rules, the PUC is inviting public comment and has made a survey available online to collect feedback. The commission says input from riders and drivers will help shape how future rules address safety concerns without disrupting access to rideshare services.

For Spears, the outcome of the process carries broader meaning.

“This is freedom for us, and just remember that we all need freedom, and that’s what America is about — is freedom for us,” Spears said.

The Colorado Public Utilities Commission says public feedback will be reviewed as part of its ongoing rulemaking process for rideshare safety regulations.

Source: Denver 7