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MO lawmakers seek regulation for Uber

Posted at 5:03 PM, Mar 17, 2016
and last updated 2016-03-17 18:37:41-04

Uber operating in some parts of the state may be seeing some changes in the near future. 

In KCMO, taxis are regulated by the city and after last year's political kerfuffle, so is Uber.

"The city tried to make sure the public safety was going to be safeguarded at levels that they felt it should be," Jim Ready of KCMO Regulated Industries Division said.

Currently there is a big push for MO House Bill 2330 in Jefferson City that would create state-wide regulations for ride sharing services like Uber, taking city regulations out of the equation.

"Without lobbyists this isn't even a breath of air. This legislation is so ridiculous," Ready said.

Missouri lawmakers say otherwise. They argue if the bill passes, it would allow Uber to expand in the state to cities like St. Joseph, resulting in at least 10,000 new jobs.

"You don't compromise public safety for a business model, you just don't do that," Ready said.

Nassor Neblett, who is applying to be an Uber driver, agrees.

"The cities already doing it," Neblett said.

He believes the city overseeing regulation is much more secure than the state.

"They should be under the same regulations, stipulations, as everybody else," Neblett said.

Kansas City views MO House Bill 2330 as a slap in the face.

"Everything was going great, and then the next thing you know in late December, there was a bill filed saying we're going to strip all this out, I just don't get it," Ready said.  

Uber provided the following statement:

"Uber is providing thousands of safe rides and economic opportunities to people across Missouri who need it. This legislation would allow us to expand these economic and transportation benefits to even more people. 

"And when it comes to safety, technology enables Uber to focus on safety before, during and after each ride in ways that were simply not possible a decade ago. Every trip is GPS-tracked. Riders can share their journey with family or friends in real time. And passengers get to rate drivers and vice versa. This is all on top of a rigorous system of background checks."

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Andres Gutierrez can be reached at andres.gutierrez@kshb.com

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