Photo by Dan Macy
Earlier this evening, after a day of legislative bickering that seemed interminable, the D.C. Council finally delivered what urban professionals, libertarians, Megan McArdle and all the myopic little twits have demanded for months: Uber, the luxury sedan-on-demand service, is totally legal in the District of Columbia.
In a unanimous vote, the council approved Councilmember Mary Cheh’s (D-Ward 3) bill making Uber and other companies that offer sedan rides though the push of a smartphone application a recognized class of service in D.C.’s livery industry. Under the bill, which now goes to Mayor Vince Gray for signature, Uber is not subject to any regulation of how much it charges, though it will see some levels of oversight.
Uber’s contracted drivers will be required to transmit their trip data back to the D.C. Taxicab Commission, a rule designed to ensure that Uber is serving all parts of the city. Cheh said preventing discrimination by drivers against riders was the prompt for much of the bill, including an amendment she added minutes before the final vote. That amendment, which an Uber said it assented to, requires the company to include on its application a notice to customers telling them to report any such discrimination.
“I think it’s a great day for Uber, a great day for innovation,” says Rachel Holt, the general manager of the company’s D.C. operations. “What D.C. passed today is a model for other cities.”
Uber has incurred the wrath of taxi commissions in other cities where it operates, including New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Cambridge, Mass. It and several competitors are also being investigated by the California Public Utilities Commission.
The newfound legality is a big change for Uber, which was the target of a “sting” operation by DCTC Chairman Ron Linton in January just weeks after it entered the D.C. market. Holt also specifically thanked Cheh, who just a few months ago was the target of Uber customers’ ire when she proposed a version of the bill that would have implemented a price floor on the company’s services. That bill was shelved under an avalanche of angry phone calls and emails that buried the entire D.C. Council.
Uber’s founder, Travis Kalanick, echoed Holt’s sentiment in a blog post on his company’s website.
The bill passed today also changes the way livery drivers in D.C. are licensed, creating a unified licensing system for drivers of taxicabs, sedans and limousines. The D.C. Taxicab Commission will also be opening its licensing exam for the first time in four years.
But for now, the gratification can be immediate. Fire up the Uber app on your iPhone or Android device, reserve a car and enjoy the ride. It’s totally legal.
