DALLAS -- While thousands of Dallasites happily move around town via cab, Uber, or Lyft, the City Council continues to discuss the best way have all three work in harmony within city limits.
On Wednesday morning, that meant a meeting to hear the outline for a brand-new transportation-for-hire ordinance that covers the companies you may already use.
'I know I'm hearing that [consumers] like options,' said Council member Jennifer Staubach Gates. 'They like being able to hail a cab, and they like being able to use their app in their home.'
The goal is to hold each transportation company to the same standard.
Early ordinance plans call for requiring these companies to:
- register with the city
- provide each car (even personal vehicles used for professional driving) a city ID number
- require companies to hold a $1 million commercial insurance policy
The insurance requirement follows a News 8 investigation over the past year which found Yellow Cab operated in Dallas without meeting the city's current insurance requirements.
What does the city's involvement mean for customers? It's another pair of eyes over the industry, and an attempt to provide assurance that you can ride in clean cars with friendly drivers who are willing to pick you up in every single corner of Dallas.
Those are the committee's ideas. Public comment is up next.
'I want to see some more head-shaking; I want to see more involvement, so I know where we are, where we need to go, what we need more of, less of, and how we make this fair for everybody, across the board,' said Council member Dwaine Caraway.'
Council asked for a rough draft of the ordinance by Friday, to be followed by a 21-day period of open comment. There will also be a evening meeting scheduled for people to sound off.
Stay with News 8, we'll let you know when and where you can share your thoughts.
E-mail msaavedra@wfaa.com
