Some support a one-ride, one-vote concept, allowing all drivers to have a vote, regardless of how many hours they’ve worked or trips they’ve made.
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The city may try, as part of this next phase of outreach, to do a direct survey of drivers, since ride-share companies have so far been reluctant to hand over driver data to the city. Drivers have been considered independent contractors not protected by traditional labor standards – including Seattle’s $15 per hour minimum wage law. According to the document, Lyft now performs at least 250,000 rides per month in 17 markets.
A Lyft spokesperson said the company is concerned about driver privacy, since the city would request information on drivers and trips.
Ride-hailing companies have fought similar fingerprinting efforts in other cities, arguing their own background checks suffice.
View Bill 36 and its progress in the City Council here.
“How are they going to reach out to those drivers … to vote?” asked Araarso Nejash, a for-hire and Uber drive, after the drivers’ union presentation wrapped up.
It also set up a central database where drivers have to register.
“Overall we were expecting more people to attend, and we were expecting a greater diversity of voices”, said Matthew Eng, strategic advisors for FAS.
But Kunze said he couldn’t care less about privacy issues. But he said that the proposed rules overseeing the services, passed over the weekend by state lawmakers, carried “legislative intent … to make [it] more possible for passengers to be able to use Uber and Lyft”.
The Auburn City Council on Tuesday approved an ordinance enabling the ridesharing service to come back to the city.
Despite lengthy protests and threats to leave, Uber says it is staying in Honolulu.
The city has already drawn a suit from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce over the ordinance, and is likely to draw more litigation once the law is implemented.
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Harrell’s committee will meet again in two weeks, when staff will present an ordinance spelling out the details of an outreach plan and a timeline to get the law into action.
