FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 3/17/2014
Councilmember Sally J. Clark
Councilmember Clark’s statement following Full Council Vote on Taxi, For-Hire Legislation
Seattle – Councilmember Sally J. Clark, Chair of the Committee on Taxi, For-Hire and Limousine Regulations, released a statement today following the final vote on Council Bill 118036, relating to companies and drivers of a new type of for-hire vehicle in order to create a pilot program for transportation network companies (TNCs) and affiliated drivers and vehicles:
"My experience on Council has been that every few years something about taxi regulations gets to the point where something has to be fixed. Realizing that avoiding a comprehensive fix is no longer possible, today my Council colleagues and I took decisive action.
"What we’re voting on today isn’t a complete fix, but it’s a start. The first meeting of the Taxi, Limo, For-Hire Committee (March 14, 2013), started out of a need to resolve conflict between the taxis and the flat-rates and to better fund enforcement of the rules governing the existing, legacy players. The committee was tasked quickly with a different question: how do we bring new players with different business models into a regulatory framework built for a different time?
"Since that time we’ve heard hours of testimony at the microphone; contracted for a study of the Seattle market to get a better idea of the demand for alternatives to the personal automobile and bus; and, been deluged with calls and emails. Through all of this we’ve attempted to ground our work in three goals: Safety, consumer protection, and expanded mobility.
"Customers want more choices and better service. TNC vehicles will now become a legal choice with appropriate driver, vehicle and insurance safeguards.
"The limited access to taxi licenses in Seattle and King County coupled with driver and vehicle regulations that haven’t kept up with contemporary service expectations and technology, made disruption not only inevitable, but welcomed by many drivers and riders. We’ll change that by releasing more taxi licenses and revamping driver training and vehicle checks.
"We have much more work to do with respect to driver training, safety and customer service, vehicle licensing and re-licensing. We will be working with Mayor Murray as we track the impacts on passengers and drivers. I’m glad to see his commitment to quick and focused revamping of the city’s for-hire regulations, and I hope King County regulators, our partners in all of this, are as excited as we are to crack open licensing.
"In cities across the United States and other parts of the globe, companies have chosen to launch first, ask questions later. Every city and state looks to be playing out the same debate as we’re having here. In Seattle, we’ve now defined the regulatory framework under which UberX, Lyft, Sidecar and their followers can operate legally in the city. These rules recognize that times are changing – and that safety and consumer protection never go out of style."