Sunday, August 16, 2015

From Walkable West Palm Beach—Support ridehailing services like Uber and Lyft: Email the County Commissioners

Walkable West Palm Beach is an outspoken supporter for ridehailing services. (Read past content). The County Commission votes on whether to allow these services to operate in Palm Beach County on Tuesday of this week. Please send a supportive email to BCC-AllCommissioners@pbcgov.org which will email all county commissioners.

A sample support email is included below, courtesy of Complete Streets Palm Beaches:

Honorable Commissioners,

We ask that you embrace ridesharing and work with Uber, Lyft, and similar companies to ensure continued access to safe, reliable and affordable transportation options, while also providing greater economic opportunities for our citizens. New technologies call for new regulatory approaches and we hope that you follow down that path and not stifle innovation.

Safety is our primary concern, noting that Uber and Lyft’s entry into markets have correlated with a drop in DUI arrests and a decline in drunk-driving crashes in cities across the country including Philadelphia, Seattle, and across California. Ridesharing drivers have the ability to respond to demand in real-time, connecting riders with a safe and reliable means of transportation when they need it the most.

Furthermore, Uber has a $1M primary insurance policy that covers all trips, and conducts federal, state and local background checks going back 7 years. Even further, riders and drivers have the ability to rate one another, ensuring that both are having the best experience possible.

Our secondary concern is the cost of ridesharing versus traditional vehicle for hire options, which have semi-regulated fare prices. Uber and Lyft operate without this price floor and are able to provide more competitive price options to travelers.

We urge the county to craft modern regulations that embrace more choice and opportunity for everyone and create a permanent home for job-creating technologies such as ridesharing.