hey - can you do me a favor? Take three minutes and email the Urban Transportation Commission tonight or Thursday morning and tell them you support the city moving forward on legalizing peer-to-peer transportation networks like Uber and Lyft? Theres a vote on Thursday and you can really make a difference - there are swing votes that can be swayed by your note. Once youve done that - will you share this message to your network or post your own message saying why YOU support broader access to transportation choices? Here are a few pointers: 1. These companies are here now, operating illegally. We need something to let them operate within the law. 2. Insurance is important, and these companies already carry it. They have one million dollars of commercial liability coverage that covers from the moment they agree to pick up a passenger to the moment they drop them off. Theres a lot of FUD about whether thats enough - but it is. Thats the only time drivers are actively engaged in a service. 3. This doesnt have to be the be all end all of vehicles for hire - in fact Chris Rileys resolution isnt DESIGNED to be that. Instead, its a temporary measure to allow the companies to operate using common sense requirements. Amendments to the ground transportation code can come later, after weve had some real experience with them. 4. surge pricing isnt all bad - its designed to get more drivers on the road and to have passengers delay unnecessary trips until the peak time is over. So long as the pricing is clearly disclosed ahead of time (it is) then its not anything that anyone is forced to pay. 5. As the UTC knows very well, the legacy taxi system isnt DESIGNED to meet demand - and its the ONLY part of the citys public transportation network where thats true. Thats the fundamental problem - its designed instead to limit supply so that the existing suppliers all get a little something. That may be good for the incumbents, but public policy isnt about minimizing harm to incumbents - its about maximizing public good. The fact of the matter is that peer-to-peer services are inherently designed to meet demand. 6. Drivers benefit too. By having a system thats designed to meet demand, you grow the size of the market and grow the number of market participants. The number of jobs goes up. Ive met plenty of drivers that make decent money on these services - thats something that Austin needs. If you agree - please write in and say so. Id really appreciate it, and it can make a real difference. You can find the email addresses here. ci.austin.tx.us/boards/results.cfm?bid=55
Posted on: Thu, 18 Sep 2014 01:39:42 +0000
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