In November, the ride-sharing companies agreed to let the state run its own background checks as part of a deal that would let Lyft and Uber drivers service Logan Airport, CNN reported.
More than 70,000 drivers applied for the checks. The results of the state's first screening were announced on Wednesday, and more than 10 per cent of applicants did not pass.
The most common reason for rejecting drivers was a previous suspended license.
More than 1,500 drivers were rejected for a violent crime charge. Other reasons for denial included various driving offences, felony convictions, and sex abuse and exploitation, CNN said in its report.
The state also identified 51 sex offenders.
Not all the rejections were for legal reasons though. Many drivers had not held a license long enough to qualify under the new rules. Others had an inactive license.
In a statement, Governor Charlie Baker said Massachusetts has "set a national standard for driver safety".
Uber and Lyft typically rely on their own background checks, looking for disqualifying offences in the past seven years.
Massachusetts checks are different in a few key ways, according to the state criminal Defence Attorney Johanna Griffiths.
They look at a drivers' entire lifetime instead of just the past seven years. They also include people who had a "continuance without a finding" on their record.
Also called a CWOF, it's a type of plea deal that lets defendants avoid a guilty conviction.
Under Massachusetts law, Lyft's commercial background check provider, like all consumer reporting agencies, is legally prevented from looking back further than seven years. But the state does not face the same limitation.
Even though it previously agreed to the background checks, Uber is not happy with the results.
"The new screening includes an unfair and unjust indefinite lookback period that has caused thousands of people in Massachusetts to lose access to economic opportunities," said Uber in a statement.
Ride-hailing companies have until 2018 to comply with the law, so there may still be time to change the rules. Public hearings are scheduled for May.
(This story has not been edited by Social News XYZ staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
About VDC
Doraiah Chowdary Vundavally is a Software engineer at VTech . He is the news editor of SocialNews.XYZ and Freelance writer-contributes Telugu and English Columns on Films, Politics, and Gossips. He is the primary contributor for South Cinema Section of SocialNews.XYZ. His mission is to help to develop SocialNews.XYZ into a News website that has no bias or judgement towards any.