State lawmakers on the Insurance & Real Estate Committee are considering a bill Thursday that would create statewide regulation of ridesharing companies like Lyft and Uber.
House bill 7126 would require ridesharing networks to register annually starting Jan. 1, 2018, display credentials, provide receipts for services offered digitally, and have drivers submit to national and state background checks.
The state would also regulate what it calls “dynamic” or on-demand pricing for services, requiring companies to give customers notice of unusually high prices. The state would also cap the highest pricing at no more than two and one-half times the usual price charged for such services at any other time, the bill states.
The legislation would regulate conditions surrounding the hiring and deployment of drivers for these networks and insurance coverage for accidents, including a requirement for criminal history background checks.
Under the law, if enacted, the state Department of Transportation would conduct a study to determine how to implement and fund a pilot program to promote transportation services that are provided by owners of motor vehicles in livery service, taxicab owners and transportation network companies, as well as examine the viability and impact of implementing a per-trip surcharge on those owners.
A preliminary report on the study is due Feb. 1, 2018, with a final report due Jan. 3, 2019.
If approved by both chambers and signed by the governor, the bill could be effective as early as July 1, of this year.
