Uber holds recruitment event to find potential drivers in Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Ride-share company Uber held a recruitment event Thursday in an effort to find potential drivers.

Many Southern Californians who are already employed looked for ways to make more money and headed out to the Uber event.

Los Angeles resident Aurora Najera drives a bus full time, but said she wants to find other ways to save up for her daughter's senior year of high school.

Thursday's event is part of a commitment the company made to get 12,000 new drivers throughout Los Angeles by March 2017.

The event was also hosted by Goodwill Southern California in an effort to help people that stop by their resource centers.

Uber is also trying to address safety concerns. The company recently agreed to pay a $10 million settlement, in part over allegations that it misled passengers about the quality of its background checks.

But the ride-sharing company said it takes many steps to protect its users through its GPS technology.

"It includes being able to send your status or share your ETA to the person who is waiting for you on the other side of that trip," Uber spokesman Michael Amadeo said.