Columbia City Council passed a set or ordinances Monday night requiring Transportation Network Companies like Uber to allow the city to perform secondary background checks and inspections on all drivers and vehicles, and require drivers to have a chauffeur’s license.
Jaime Moore, a spokesperson for Uber, calls the new regulations a huge win for the Taxi Industry. She believes regulating Uber as if they are a taxi service is the wrong way to go.
“Transportation Network Company is an entirely different entity. It’s not Taxi. So regulate it for what it is don’t try to squeeze it into a regulatory framework for something that it’s not,” said Moore.
Tony St. Romaine, Columbia’s Deputy City Manager, said the regulations are meant to level the playing field between Uber and existing taxi services.
