Uber Technologies Inc. is strengthening its driver background screening process in the United States and extending the enhanced checks to existing drivers, as the company responds to a growing number of sexual assault lawsuits filed by passengers.

Beginning Monday, Uber will broaden the range of criminal convictions that permanently disqualify individuals from driving or delivering on its platform, irrespective of when the offence was committed, a company spokesperson said on Friday.

The revised policy is expected to result in the removal of tens of thousands of existing drivers and couriers, representing about 0.5 per cent of Uber’s active US workforce.

As of April, Uber had approximately 10 million drivers and couriers globally.

The expanded list of permanently disqualifying offences includes violent felonies such as armed robbery and aggravated assault, as well as child abuse, child endangerment, strangulation, and stalking. Under Uber’s previous background check policy, individuals convicted of these offences could still qualify to drive if the conviction was more than seven years old.

The policy change comes as Uber continues to face thousands of lawsuits in the United States, largely filed by female passengers who allege they were sexually assaulted or harassed by drivers using the platform.

In February, Uber was ordered to pay $8.5 million in damages in a bellwether case after a jury found the company liable for failing to prevent the alleged sexual assault of a passenger.

The new nationwide screening requirements align with similar changes Uber previously agreed to implement in California as part of a settlement that ended a costly ballot measure dispute over the legal liability of ride-hailing companies in such cases.

Uber already permanently disqualifies prospective and existing drivers with lifetime convictions for sexual assault, sexual offences involving minors, other sexual crimes, murder or homicide, kidnapping, and terrorism.

Under Uber’s previous policy, convictions for non-sexual offences such as drunk driving, theft, and weapons-related crimes also disqualified individuals from driving or delivering on the platform if they occurred within seven years of a background check.

A company spokesperson said the updated standards are intended to reduce the chances of criminal convictions being overlooked during background checks for new applicants and the annual screening of existing drivers and couriers.

The spokesperson said Uber is expanding its background screening to include a 99-year trace of an individual’s Social Security number, enabling its background-check providers to identify more jurisdictions in a person’s residential history and search additional court records for relevant criminal convictions.