Dozens packed the county building to voice their support for rideshare services Uber and Lyft, which have been trying to operate in Hillsborough despite the county's crackdown on the two.
Supporters were there to urge the county's Public Transportation Commission to let the services continue operating unburdened by what they see as onerous regulations; the PTC was weighing whether or not to urge lawmakers to take up legislation it drafted that would regulate rideshare companies.
Such regulations would include requiring drivers to carry a certain level of insurance, obtain Level II background checks, appropriately maintain their vehicle and operate vehicles that adhere to the Americans with Disabilities Act (something that could be done through subcontracting). It also prohibits them from accepting riders who didn't request a car through the services' mobile apps, such as via a street hail, or accepting cash payments from riders.
Ostensibly, the PTC says this is a compromise with ridesharing companies that takes into consideration public safety and consumer protections.
"We have reports from around the country of drivers doing just heinous things, such as putting a seeing-eye dog in the trunk of a car," PTC executive director Kyle Cockream. "That's unacceptable."
He added that such regulations wouldn't be unique to Florida.
"There are cities where Uber is doing all the things that we have just outlined," Cockream said. "The fingerprints, having the vehicle inspected, providing appropriate insurance. And they're doing so seamlessly and it hasn't hurt their business at all."
The PTC board, which consists of local elected officials, unanimously voted to support the bill and seek sponsors in the State House and Senate, though only four of the seven-member panel was present.
The board also voted 3-1 to halt all citations for rideshare drivers operating in the county until a judge decides on a lawsuit currently underway over ridesharing services operating in the county. Tampa City Council Chair Frank Reddick dissented, because he wanted more members to be present.
Members of the public who spoke to the board on the rideshare issue — some drivers, some riders — all did so in favor of letting the company legally operate as-is. Many were concerned the new regulations would create an undue burden on drivers, something that would benefit the taxi companies that have been railing hard against their new, less expensive and, some say, more user-friendly competition.
Some urged the PTC to follow Sarasota's lead. On Tuesday, Sarasota's City Council rather abruptly voted to deregulate both taxi and ridesharing services.
“The problem is the regulation," said Uber driver Ken Curtis. "It's the overregulation. That's why taxis are overpriced and inefficient.”
He said earlier in the day he gave a ride to a single mother who wouldn't be able to afford a conventional cab.
“We are in the age of the cell phone," he said. "Are you going to actually go back to asking everybody to use a pager?”
Rideshare user George Hamilton said taxis are much less reliable and user-friendly and, unlike Uber and Lyft, consumers can't rate their drivers.
“Don't get in the way of this,” he said. “You don't want Tampa to have the reputation around this country when it's looking for new businesses of being an area that has killed Uber.”
PTC board chair Victor Crist was combative at times during the discussion. When a pro-rideshare attorney gave public comment, Crist asked if he had a license to practice law, to which the attorney said yes. Crist asked why rideshare drivers should be any different. He challenged one Uber driver by asking what kind of insurance he had, which the driver declined to disclose.
Crist repeatedly stressed that the regulations wouldn't be burdensome.
“There's nothing draconian or difficult here,” he said. “Clean, simple, commonsense, easy-peasy stuff.”
Compared to taxis, which have to pay $50,000 just to be eligible to drive a cab in Hillsborough, he said, they're not too bad.
His colleagues concurred.
“This disruptive technology has expanded technology and transformed the industry,” said County Commissioner Ken Hagan. “However…we currently have an un-level playing field…I want these safety protections to exist…I do not understand why these regulations are appropriate for some communities but not ours.”
It's unclear whether the PTC's bill regulating app-based ridesharing service will have much luck among lawmakers.
"I think if you asked the cab companies to draft a bill to keep out competition, this is the bill they would've come up with," State Sen. Jeff Brandes (R—St. Petersburg), an avid ride sharing supporter, told the Tampa Bay Times. "I look forward to seeing if they can find a sponsor for their bill."
Meanwhile, on Tuesday a collection of Tallahassee as well as Broward County cab drivers sued the state over its not compelling rideshare companies to prove that they're accurately calculating distances as fares, which they do require of cabs, the News Service of Florida reported.
This article appears in Sep 3-9, 2015.