LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – Uber and the Nevada Transportation Authority are teaming up this holiday weekend for a crackdown on fake rideshare drivers, which they say is a big problem in Las Vegas.

“You can get a placard pretty much anywhere… you can parade around as an Uber driver… You will see a lot of them in black SUVs that look just like Uber and Lyft, but they are not licensed,” revealed John Foster, Chief of Enforcement for the Nevada Transportation Authority.

For NTA, stopping illegal rideshare drivers is a matter of public safety. People are being picked up by drivers without background checks or proper insurance. “I have been communicating with all the Strip hotels and Downtown to train them on this problem… There is large groups of individuals that are acting as Uber drivers without permits… That person will ask you if you want a ride or need a ride,” Foster explained.

For the first time, Uber is teaming up directly with a state agency to address this issue.

“It is certainly more noticeable in Las Vegas… because there is so many out-of-towners, so many tourists,” shared Harry Hartfield, Senior Public Affairs Manager for Uber. While the Nevada Transportation Authority regulates 36,000 licensed drivers in the Vegas Valley some aren’t following the rules.

“If 10,000 of those drivers are handing out business cards, it is a big problem. It is a big problem,” Foster contended. Taking a business card from a legitimate rideshare driver for a future off app trip is risky because commercial insurance won’t apply unless a ride is booked through the app. “In Nevada, there is a $1.5 million dollar insurance policy,” Hartfield reported as a representative of Uber.

Any driver caught offering an illegal ride in Nevada will have their vehicle impounded and face a $10,000 fine, something happening more often than you might think. “I would say five a week… It is challenging it’s very, very challenging. We are working with everyone we can to bring this crisis under control,” Foster told FOX5.

The Nevada Transportation Authority has undercover investigators posing as tourists trying to catch illegal rideshare drivers in the act, but the NTA says tips from the public are most important to stop fake Ubers. Report one via this link.

For your safety, every rideshare you take verify the driver’s identity and the plate number on your app before you get inside the vehicle.

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