NEWS 8 INVESTIGATES
A WFAA investigation into rideshare safety regulations and enforcement in Dallas and Fort Worth has taken a new turn.
A state senator from Dallas is proposing legislation that would essentially put the brakes on any local or municipal regulatory oversight of the transportation-for-hire industry.
Just weeks ago, a WFAA investigation uncovered what some in the community believe is a serious public safety threat.
WFAA found rideshare operators, mostly Uber and Lyft, violating the city of Dallas' rideshare rules.
Several dozen drivers at Dallas Love Field Airport had no window sticker permits displayed, showing the required proof that their vehicles had passed city inspection. One Uber driver, in fact, had no state of Texas vehicle registration sticker.
Other drivers, when asked by WFAA, couldn't show proof that they were authorized to be a rideshare driver in Dallas. City regulations require drivers to have undergone a criminal background check prior to gaining approval to rideshare.
The News 8 investigation also found some 200 "transportation for hire" drivers in Dallas who've been convicted of crimes ranging from "aggravated assault" to "robbery" to multiple "DWIs" even "sexual assault."
For example, one Uber driver, currently registered with the city of Dallas, was convicted of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in 2002. Court records explain that he "is mentally challenged and is unable to maintain gainful employment."
Still, Dallas city codes allow felons more than five years past their sentence to sign up and drive.
But some of those standards could soon go away.
State Sen. Don Huffines of Dallas is one of several lawmakers sponsoring bills taking regulatory authority away from cities and giving it to the state. But Huffines’ proposed legislation goes the farthest.
"This is a bill that deregulates the whole ridesharing industry across the state of Texas," Huffines told News 8.
Huffines said the bill is designed to remove “a stifling, heavy-handed regulatory approach” to the rideshare industry. That’s except for one restriction - a prohibition on hiring sex offenders.
"We want to make sure that the government doesn't pick the winners and the losers," Huffines told News 8. "I want the consumers to pick the winners and the losers, I want a real free market."
News 8 showed Huffines the rap sheet of one registered Uber driver from Dallas, and asked if he felt the driver in question was a "winner" or a "loser."
"Look," Huffines replied, "I don't know who drives for who and I'm not trying to pick one company over any company. I can tell you this: the government cannot guarantee your security or your safety."
Austin City Council member Ann Kitchen is a big supporter of tighter regulations over the transportation for hire industry.
"These safety issues are issues of concern to people and the public, and the public has a right to think them through and make some decisions," Kitchen said.
Kitchen led the move to tighten rideshare rules in Austin last year, requiring all drivers to submit fingerprint background checks. Rideshare giants Uber and Lyft threatened to leave the market if the measure passed.
A well-funded campaign was waged to have Kitchen removed from office through a recall election.
Last May, the citizens of Austin voted.
The tough new regulations passed.
The effort to recall Kitchen failed.
As threatened, Uber and Lyft left town. Sen. Huffines, in a published opinion commentary, called Austin a "weird neighbor and a national embarrassment for the free market, liberty-loving state of Texas."
Huffines also has claimed that deregulation will be an incubator for new rideshare businesses in Texas. "It's about deregulating the market which means all new companies can spring up," Huffines said.
Yet, while Uber and Lyft left Austin due to the tough new regulations, News 8 found other companies sprang up to fill the rideshare void.
In facrt, at least seven rideshare companies took root in the Capitol city, serviced in large part by the old Uber and Lyft drivers willing to submit to the new company standards.
According to a News 8 review of Texas Ethics Commission records, Uber and Lyft have retained a total of 40 lobbyists this Legislative session.
That's among the highest number of lobbyists retained by any industry in the state this year.
The group of rideshare lobbyists report that they are expected to make up to $2.5 million this legislative session, according to the records.
The reports show the Uber and Lyft lobbyists in Texas may make up to $4 million for their work from 2016 through this year.
“We look forward to working with lawmakers across the state to ensure that all Texans have the ability to access a safe, reliable, and affordable ride 24/7 at the push of a button,” said Travis Considine, an Uber spokesman, in a statement when asked for comment about the legislative efforts.