City Hall Plans April 15 Vote to Let Uber and Lyft Pick up Passengers in Portland

Willamette Week:

Portland city officials are preparing rule changes to allow ride-hailing companies Uber and Lyft to begin picking up passengers in the city by mid-April. Documents released this afternoon show the City Council is scheduled for an April 15 vote to give Uber and Lyft formal approval to operate in Portland with a "pilot program." That vote is expected to confirm much of the informal deal Mayor Charlie Hales cut with Uber officials in December. The April 15 vote will kick off a three-month trial period for the two companies to operate, while Portland City Hall tweaks the rules they'll have to follow.Documents show the task force created by Hales and City Commissioner Steve Novick will set preliminary rules by April 9 for driver training and permits, background checks on drivers, and service for people with disabilities. It will then finalize those rules on July 15. But the city does not appear to have reached a consensus on the crucial issue of what rules Uber will have to follow on commercial insurance.The task force is considering a plan that would require Uber and Lyft to carry a $2 million insurance policy when they begin Portland service—but officials may wait on state officials to direct a decision on what times that insurance policy will apply.  A bill currently in Salem, backed by taxi companies, says Uber and Lyft must carry insurance for its drivers at all times, including when waiting for fares and driving to pick up customers.Cab companies have argued that Uber and Lyft should play by the same rules currently applied to taxis.

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