JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville City Council may be racing toward a populist solution to regulating ride-for-hire companies like Uber and Lyft.
With little to no regulation governing app-based vehicle-for-hire companies, a committee Monday discussed the possibility of leaving regulatory questions to voters.
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Council members had settled on inspections and insurance requirements for app-based ride-hailing companies until it was reopened for discussion after a ruling in Austin on Saturday.
Now Councilman John Crescimbeni suggests holding a voter referendum.
“I view Austin as a very progressive city -- probably consisting of a demographic that I would think would marry up quite well with the (transportation network company) industry -- and yet they rejected this proposition that was put on the ballot by the TNC industry,” Crescimbeni said.
Crescimbeni has been a fierce advocate for taxicab companies who say they shoulder an unfair regulatory burden. He’s in favor of forcing the app-based companies to undergo the same background checks, vehicle inspections and carry the same level of commercial insurance cab drivers do.
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