You may recall that a few weeks ago the Public Transportation Commission outraged the city by pulling the plug on four companies that operated electric shuttle services, free rides for people downtown, on Harbour Island and SoHo instead of traditional for-hire taxis. About a week or so later, we learned that a traditional taxi company that had protested the unlicensed existence of the green-friendly shuttles then started its own downtown freebie hybrid car service.
Might funny smelling.
But now we find out that the Commission has either relented or (as it is spinning matters) never really meant to put the electric shuttles out of business.
From TBO.com:
At a workshop hearing on the issue today, the PTC issued a new set of guidelines that will require the NEVs to operate on streets where the posted speed limit is less than 35 mph. NEVs will be required to have certain safety features and drivers will be required to have a PTC public vehicle driver's license. They'll also be required to carry insurance.
The new rules will also limit the operation of the NEVs to downtown Tampa, Davis Islands, Harbor Island, the Channelside district, Ybor City and some areas of South Tampa.
County Commissioner Rose Ferlita, who also sits on the PTC, says it was never her intent to put the NEVs out of business.
"We had to decide that we regulate so that we could decide how we're going to make both of these types of industries co-exist," said Ferlita at todays workshop.
Thanks for raising hell about this, readers. You apparently made a difference.
This article appears in Aug 26 – Sep 1, 2009.