Ride share drivers like Uber and Lyft were allowed by California law to drive with the same amount of alcohol in their bloodstreams as non-commercial drivers, i.e., 0.08 percent.  Under a new law that went into effect on July 1, 2018, that bloodstream tolerance limit has been reduced to 0.04%.

Assembly Bill 2687 was passed and signed into law by Governor Brown in 2016 but contained a delayed implementation date.  The new limit is what has already been applicable to commercial shuttle drivers.  If a ride share driver is convicted of driving with a greater blood alcohol content, he or she will be disqualified from commercial driving under the new law.

The law came on the heels of a California Public Utilities Commission (PUC) report that found that Uber only took action, and slowly at that, on a small percentage of 2,047 customer complaints about possible impairment of its drivers.  Uber has reportedly improved its complaint and investigation process, and instituted a “zero tolerance policy for impaired driving.”