Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Council President Herb Wesson and City Councilman Paul Krekorian have submitted a joint letter to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) asking it to allow Los Angeles to implement a pilot program that would fingerprint drivers for Uber, Lyft and other transportation companies.

The regulations would be similar to requirements for taxi drivers in L.A. They would apply to all charter-party carrier (TCP) and transportation network company drivers including those who drive limos, vans and shuttle services.

For decades, Los Angeles has required taxi operators to work under a franchise agreement with the city, which requires fingerprints to crosscheck potential drivers with the state’s Department of Justice (DOJ) database. It provides an essential safeguard for riders by preventing people who have violent criminal histories from driving passengers in Los Angeles.

“A fingerprinting pilot program makes sense in L.A. and will help the Public Utilities Commission gather valuable information as it contemplates implementing a more thorough background check program statewide,” said Krekorian, chair of the city council’s Budget and Finance Committee. “Keeping the riding public safe is something we should strive to do and requiring full and fair fingerprint background checks across the board will push us in that direction.”

The letter proposes a three-part fingerprinting pilot program in Los Angeles. It would require drivers to be fingerprinted and background checked under the California DOJ screening process.

Transportation companies would be required to report on the number of drivers whose background checks were found to be incomplete or inconsistent with the results of the fingerprint screening process.

The companies would also be compelled to provide information on how and why they deny drivers employment, what the appeals processes are and how fingerprinting requirements affect the number of drivers they accept or reject.