Photo by andertho.
Yesterday, Councilmember Mary Cheh (D-Ward 3) announced she’ll introduce new legislation to nullify the D.C. Taxicab Commission’s recent sedan regulations that made uberX illegal. Though she won’t immediately introduce the new legislation when the Council reconvenes on September 17, Cheh’s spokesperson Devin Ward said it will happen “sooner rather than later.”
While this is all certainly good news for Uber, who has been constantly battling with the DCTC over regulations that limit their operations, this could present quite a roadblock for the DCTC.
Speaking with DCist, DCTC spokesperson Neville Waters says that the DCTC is disappointed with this latest bit of news from Cheh. Waters says that Chairman Ron Linton “feels strongly that the Council the DCTC created can do its job well,” and has not yet “completed the regulatory process” regarding new app-based companies like Uber, Lyft, and Sidecar. Here’s Linton’s official statement about the possibility of new legislation:
“The DC City Council would be well served to allow the Commission to do its job. As we have indicated our work is not complete. We are in the process of further regulatory activity far broader than what type of car can be used for a single service. Hopefully the Council will wait until they can see the full scope of our actions during a time of great change in the public vehicle for hire industry.”
Basically, there’s little the DCTC can do if Cheh’s legislation goes through. “They can do what they want to do and, obviously, we will follow their lead,” Waters said.
While the app-based service is still operating before regulations take effect, Uber’s D.C. general manager Rachel Holt is obviously optimistic about uberX’s future in D.C. “I think Councilmember Cheh has been a great asset for us and for our consumers, and we’re really excited that she’ll continue fighting for Uber,” she tells DCist.
Although uberX’s operations aren’t up to regulation, it’s unclear when the particular regulations that would take uberX’s mid-sized hybrid vehicles off the street will take effect. “We’re still in conversations and assessing our options,” Holt says. “We’ve just seen the final versions of the regulations. Some deadlines are in September, some are in October. We need time to go through it all and determine what our options are.”
We’ll see if Cheh’s legislation will go through before DCTC’s regulations shut down uberX’s operations.
