Attempting to try a different course after battling ridesharing companies Uber and Lyft for nearly a year and a half, the Hillsborough County Public Transportation Commission voted today to propose new regulations that they hope can be pushed by a state legislator in Tallahassee next year.
And as a “good faith effort” showing they are trying to work with the industry, the board voted to stop citing Uber and Lyft drivers for operating illicitly until a court hearing at the end of October.
The vote to stop citing the drivers was proposed by County Commissioner Al Higginbotham. It passed on a 3-1 vote, with board member and Tampa City Council member Frank Reddick dissenting. Reddick questioned whether the agency can find a suitable lawmaker to sponsor the bill in the Legislature.
After the meeting, however, PTC Chairman Victor Crist said that he has already identified a lawmaker, though he would not name him or her at this time. (The Tampa Tribune reports that Crist thinks Plant City House Republican Dan Raulerson would carry the legislation.)
The vote came as dozens of Uber drivers packed the County Center’s chambers, alarmed by an email from Uber issued the day before. The email urged them to “tell the PTC to stop their campaign against modern ridesharing technology and support sensible regulations.”
Last month, the PTC voted to continue having their officers issue citations against Uber and Lyft drivers, despite losing a court ruling that rejected their request that could have prevented Uber from operating in Hillsborough County. The board has been citing the companies for refusing to agree to a level of background checks and insurance policies that the agency currently requires taxicab and limousine drivers to undertake.
However, that decision alienated some officials, including St. Petersburg Republican Jeff Brandes, the state Senate Transportation chairman. He announced that he would propose legislation next year in Tallahassee that could kill the agency, which was originally created by the state Legislature back in the 1970s.
The requirements that the bill passed by the PTC passed would include these provisions:
- Each driver must undergo Level 2 background checks already required of most public transportation vehicles.
- Each driver must have personal and liability insurance that covers the passenger, pedestrian and vehicle during its business use.
- The legislation requires accommodations be provided for the Americans With Disabilities Act.
- Each vehicle must have annual safety inspections.
However, Seth Mills, a local attorney representing taxicab companies, said that he wanted cab companies to be listed as a transportation network company (TNC) if they choose to do so.
Speaker after speaker came before the PTC, all advocating that they not penalize Uber (Lyft drivers didn’t appear to be present). Greg Morgan, a commercial real estate agent, said he has been driving for Uber over the past four weeks, and called it “an incredible experience.” Looking out at the audience of Uber drivers, he rhapsodized that, “I love seeing your faces. I’ve never seen you before.”
Bayshore Boulevard resident George Hamilton blasted taxicabs, and said Tampa would embarrass itself if it ended up banning the ridesharing company from operating in Hillsborough County.
“I’m old enough to remember when we called this ‘America’s next Great City,'” Hamilton said. “Try to remember that. You don’t want Tampa to have a reputation that is an area that killed Uber.”
Uber and Lyft have made agreements to work in cities like New York, Houston and Austin, but have fought regulators in many other parts of the country. PTC Executive Director Kyle Cockream pushed back on comments by Lyft and Uber that they have fully complied with the agency, giving as an example the fact that the PTC has every person sanctioned to operate a vehicle for hire in the county, but cannot get that information from the ridesharing companies.
“Fox-13 came to me and asked me for a copy of all the taxicab drivers’ names and a summary of their background,” he said. “I had to provide that to them by law. She made the same request of Uber and of Lyft. She got nothing.”
The PTC’s actions come less than 24 hours after the Sarasota City Commission voted to deregulate ridesharing companies and taxicab companies, something that Crist said during the meeting wouldn’t be happening in Hillsborough.
“This is not Sarasota,” he declared early on. “We have a different structure here,” referring to how some cab companies have spent $50,000 for medallions to operate taxis in the county.
