Statewide Regulations For Uber, Lyft Shelved For Session

A bill to put statewide regulations on ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft is dead for the session. Jackson Representative Kenny Havard filed the bill in an effort to have standard rules, with the hope these companies would expand to smaller cities.

The measure passed the House, but it didn’t have enough votes to get approval from a Senate committee so Havard shelved the idea for the session.

The measure would end existing agreements between the companies and local municipalities. New Orleans lawmakers argued the city would lose $2 million annually without that agreement. But Havard says the measure would collect a 1 percent fee to be dispersed around the state.

“The rest of the cities around the state would have actually been making more money through it. New Orleans has the highest fees for Uber and Lyft in the country,” Havard said.

Havard says these services are great for local communities. He says not only do Uber and Lyft create jobs, they keep drunk drivers off the roadways.

“I know that Uber is saving lives. I know it’s saving DWIs. I think we should be doing everything we can as a state to keep people off the roads who’ve been drinking,” Havard said.