&gt; Do they need to fund the background checks? Are they too expensive?<p>I&#x27;ve been getting a $1 safe ride fee when using Uber in the US. So they do pass on the background check cost to the customer.<p>There is some other reason for this. Maybe like the poster said in a later comment - about their classification the drivers. Or just them throwing a fit because it did not got their way.<p>Here in India, couple of states have been telling Uber (and their competitor Ola), that they can have surge pricing recently.