ICMYI – KUSI and The Hill covered the release of my plan to save free-market innovators like Uber and Lyft.
This is an issue of personal freedom — specifically the right of consumers to choose their ride rather than gave special interests and politicians choose it for them. Instead of siding with the cab companies’ monopolies, government should be encouraging, rather than prohibiting these solutions to our local transportation challenges.
Technology services such as Uber and Lyft are wildly popular in San Diego, particularly among those 18-40 years old. Just last week, the California legislature took up a bill to dramatically restrict use of ride-sharing solutions. Locally, leaders in San Diego’s cab industry have been examining restrictions imposed or being considered in other cities to thwart the use and growth of ridesharing solutions.
My “Choose Your Ride” Plan calls for federal legislation that would:
- Require any state or locality that accepts federal transit or transportation funding to allow ridesharing services to compete freely with traditional cab companies
- Require any airport that receives federal funds to allow ridesharing services to drop off and pick up passengers
- Instruct the Secretary of Transportation to report to Congress within 18 months on implementation and safety statistics of traditional cab companies versus ridesharing programs