But let's back up for a minute. Uber started charging people a Safe Ride fee (usually between $1 and $2.50 depending on where you used the service) back in 2014 to build out key parts of the platform "including a background check process, development of safety features in the app, incident response, and other operational costs." As the Philliben and Mena suits pointed out, though, would-be Uber drivers were never fingerprinted or checked against the Department of Justice's sex offender registry. Since some Uber drivers have been charged and indeed sentenced to jail time over incidents of sexual assault, it's no wonder why Uber's veneer of stringent safety has fallen apart. As part of the settlement, Uber will swap "safe ride fee" for "booking fee," because, well, they over-promised on safety to start with. Whether you like Uber or hate it, there's no denying that the company will survive paying these settlement costs.