Uber is committed to providing a safe, reliable ride to everyone, everywhere, at anytime. Transportation as reliable as running water is quite a goal, but here in KC we have already made great strides with an average ETA under four minutes. When thousands of people get out of the big game, community drivers are there to make sure people get home safe and never have to drink and drive. When it’s raining at rush hour, there is a neighbor around the corner, waiting to accept your call.

With hundreds of thousands of trips taking place, we are thrilled to be a part of the fabric of this great city. And while every driver partner is already vetted by a thorough background check process and every ride is covered by a $1 million commercial liability insurance policy, we strive to work alongside city leaders to enact common sense regulations that ensure ridesharing has a permanent home in Kansas City.

We all agree regulation is necessary

Unfortunately, the latest 59-page draft ordinance from the city includes many provisions that not only stifle the ridesharing industry but also are invasive to user privacy and provide no safety value. For example, The Director of Regulated Industries must personally approve each driver application, and he or she has 50 days to do so. That means a driver who wants to drive part-time on the Uber platform could have to wait almost two months to start earning a living. That is a lot of lost income.

By contrast, dozens of jurisdictions around the country have embraced the benefits of ridesharing and implemented modern regulations to solidify industry standards. These Uber cities have chosen to prioritize safety and economic opportunity while providing proper oversight of the ridesharing industry.

So what does common-sense regulation look like? Here’s a quick snapshot of how the draft KC regulations line up to cities like Austin and Washington, D.C. that have taken a smart approach to regulations for ridesharing.

So the question is:

Is KC ready to embrace innovation and
create common sense regulations for ridesharing?