City drafts regulations for ride-sharing services

The ride-sharing service Uber has been operating in Columbia since early October. The city has been having trouble regulating it because it doesn’t fit into the existing taxi service ordinance. City officials said they’ve drafted new regulations for ride-sharing services that will be presented to the City Council.

When Uber first rolled into Columbia the company said it’s different from traditional taxi services and shouldn’t be regulated like one, but many Columbia taxi services disagreed. City officials said they’ve drafted an ordinance that would require Uber to adhere to many of the same city regulations that traditional taxi services follow. “Have their drivers come in before they actually go out on the road and start operating and simply apply for a permit. All the driver will have to do, basically, is show us some evidence that the background check and vehicle condition check has been performed, they have a driver’s license, that they have insurance,” said Tony St. Romaine, assistant city manager for Columbia.

Uber said it will have a harder time attracting potential drivers if the city creates extra hoops for them to jump through. In a statement to ABC17, Uber said “We are thrilled to be working with the City to create a smart regulatory framework for ride sharing in Columbia, however the permitting process that has been proposed does not take the nature of largely part-time ride- share drivers into account and creates an unnecessary barrier to entry.”

Uber officials told the city it would oppose the proposed ordinance. City officials said the City Council will vote on the proposed ordinance in December.