Uber for you?

Some prefer new car service to taxis, but it conflicts with local laws

Uber Technologies, Inc., a taxi-like car service, is gaining steam throughout the county as a convenient alternative to dialing a cab. You hit an icon on your phone, a driver picks you up in his own car, and the person is paid automatically with your credit card – no tipping.
But not so fast, say some state legislators and mayors. The service is operating throughout the county, but some towns’ local laws require hired drivers to follow certain rules.
Uber is was founded in 2009 in San Francisco, Calif. As of mid-September, it was available in 45 countries and 100 cities in the world.

OK in Weehawken, not in Hoboken

Officials in Hoboken have been the most vocal about the service. Their police have been ticketing drivers picking up passengers near the city’s train station. In Hoboken, cars have to have a taxi license to pick up passengers.
However, Mayor Dawn Zimmer said she supports legislation introduced by State Sen. and Union City Mayor Brian Stack to allow Uber to operate, with certain safety requirements.
Stack introduced his bill No. 2274 on June 26. “This bill will verify operators have a driver’s license, and that it’s valid, that they have registration, and that they have auto insurance,” Stack said.
The legislation also provides for a check of each Uber applicant’s mental history background, as well as driving record, and prohibits them being involved with the service if they have a disqualifying factor, according to Stack. It also calls for vehicle inspection, and the keeping of a maintenance record.
“And they’ll be zero tolerance of drugs and alcohol,” Stack said.

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Stack’s bill would require a mental health background check for drivers.
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“I think this bill will pass,” he said. “I think the way transportation is in the state right now, anywhere in the state where we can pick up transportation that is safe and affordable is a good idea.”
Stack wants to make sure that ride sharing doesn’t become a “Wild West” of operators in Hudson County and the state, and lead to tragedy.
The matter is concerning to legislators because of a parallel with local independent jitney buses. Until 2013, the jitneys had far less requirements that most bus companies had, according to officials. On July 30 of last year, a jitney bus operator, allegedly texting while driving, lost control of his vehicle, hitting a pole which came crashing down an 8-month-old child in West New York, killing her.
In his own municipality of Union City, Stack said there is an obvious need for transportation options and regulation. He said that commuter buses going into Manhattan are typically standing room only already at Eighth and Palisades Avenue – 22 blocks before they get to 30th, where they make their right into the Lincoln Tunnel.
Weehawken Mayor Richard Turner, whose town includes the Lincoln Tunnel, believes in safeguards.
“You want to make sure that the person picking you up is the right person to pick you up,” Turner said. “You want to make sure the service is safe and secure when they get into any type of vehicle for transportation services.”
But he said that the ride sharing program was not an issue in his town, since it does not issue taxi licenses there, so there is no local opposition to the service that he’s aware of.
In Bayonne, Uber does not seem to have formed a following yet.
“I don’t think it’s come up as an issue,” said Business Administrator Joseph DeMarco.
He agreed with the officials of other Hudson municipalities that the issues of safety, licensing and insurance are what need to be addressed, especially since the service is seen as more of a personal transaction.

Country embracing Uber

Uber company spokeswoman Natalia Montalvo said the service is being embraced by states across the country, including California and Colorado, which both recently signed into law ridesharing legislation.
“Ridesharing is an innovative business model that creates jobs, drives the local economy, and is a safe and reliable transportation alternative,” she said. “In New Jersey, taxi and limo regulations were developed [long] before smart phones even existed.”
Uber and Lyft, a similar ridesharing program, were recently granted permission to pick up curbside passengers at the Nashville International Airport, the first U.S. airport to officially recognize the ride-sharing services. The two services pick up passengers at other U.S. airports, but those airport operators and taxi companies say they are operating illegally.

Joseph Passantino may be reached at JoePass@hudsonreporter.com.

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