SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 3232

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
(2025-2026)

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SENATE, August 10, 2026.

 The committee on The Judiciary to whom was referred the petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1247) of Rebecca L. Rausch for legislation to criminalize sexual assault of a passenger by a rideshare operator, report the accompanying bill (Senate, No. 3232).

For the committee,

 Lydia Edwards

        FILED ON: 7/29/2026

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 3232

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
(2025-2026)

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An act promoting rideshare safety.

 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

 Chapter 159A½ of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting the following section:-

 Section 14. (a) For the purposes of this section, the following words shall have the following meanings unless the context clearly requires otherwise:

 “Automatic idling alert system,” a digitized and automated method of contacting a transportation network company driver if a ride does not make progress on the route to a designated destination; provided, that an automatic idling alert system shall allow for a driver to respond using a hands-free mode to indicate a reason for idling.

 “Ride,” the period of time beginning when a rider enters a driver’s vehicle, and continuing until the rider safely departs from the vehicle at the rider’s designated destination.

 (b) No transportation network company shall operate in the commonwealth unless its digital network includes an automatic idling alert system.

 (i) The system shall send an initial alert to the driver if a ride has been idling for more than 5 minutes. If no response is received within 2 minutes, a second alert shall be sent to the driver and a first alert shall be sent to the passenger.

 (ii) If no response to the second alert to the driver or first alert to the passenger is received within 2 minutes, the transportation network company may contact local law enforcement to provide local law enforcement with the best available location information for the ride, and law enforcement officers or agents may investigate the ride to ensure passenger and driver safety.

 (c) Not later than March 1, June 1, September 1, and December 1 of each year, transportation network companies shall issue quarterly reports to the department documenting the total number of alerts sent under subsection (b), delineated by initial and second alerts. The transportation network company shall be liable for a civil penalty of $50,000 for each initial alert to which no response was received and $100,000 for each second alert to which no response was received. Penalties shall be deposited into the general fund. The department shall suspend or revoke the permit of a transportation network company that does not timely submit the reports required by this subsection or issue timely payment of civil penalties owed under this subsection.

 (d) A transportation network company shall be held criminally and civilly liable for assaults perpetrated by contracted drivers and failure to protect contracted drivers from assaults by passengers.

 (e) The attorney general shall enforce this section. The department, in consultation with the attorney general, may promulgate regulations to implement this section.