# Sarasota poised to regulate Uber



## Mycarhatesme (Jul 21, 2015)

http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20150903/article/150909881

Any Sarasota drivers on here? How's it going?


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## lazydaysie (Sep 4, 2015)

1st public hearing for open discussion in front of the city council is Sept.8th. Remains to be seen.......


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## DrivingStPete (Jul 30, 2015)

Sarasota is doing well. Just added XL last week.


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## Kennedy C (Jun 28, 2015)

here is a link to the Sarasota City Commission's agenda for Tues, Sept 8. Meeting is at 2:30pm, public comment is first (speakers are given 3 minutes, the total of public comment can only last 30 minutes - which is a joke for a open government meeting). Hopefully, many Uber drivers/riders will show up (wear black) to show the City Commissioners we are united and have numbers.

If Sarasota is stupid enough to pass this ordinance (which Uber says will make them pull out of the area) I hope Uber is smart enough to still operate in Sarasota COUNTY (outside the city limits) and in Manatee County - which has seen explosive Uber growth since their arrival into the market in January.

(the site just told me I can't post a link since this is my first post, will try a 2nd post below)


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## Kennedy C (Jun 28, 2015)

sorry can't post a link until I get a like and some ratio is over 0% --- argh


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## UberNorthStar (Jul 7, 2015)

Hi Kennedy C, welcome to the forum.

Please read your Partnership Agreement.

New Drivers have 30 Days to Opt-out of *Binding Arbitration.*


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## DrivingStPete (Jul 30, 2015)

Please spread the word via other social media outlets. 

I will talk it up with my riders this weekend, while in Manatee and Sarasota.


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## UberNorthStar (Jul 7, 2015)

Kennedy, Before you hope Sarasota doesn't pass the ordinance, read the following as to.how well Uber background checks worked in Houston.

*http://www.houstonchronicle.com/new...186467.php?t=45907e13b3&cmpid=twitter-premium*

Uber background checks OK' d a driver in Dallas, based on a limousine license that went out of date in 2010. He was accused of rape.

TfXchick:
Uber & City of Dallas arguing if driver was on City Of Dallas permits for a limo company...point why was he on Uber platform being released from Federal prison in 2012??? UPDATE:*http://t.dallasnews.com/news/metr...ver-accused-of-rape-was-licensed-to-drive.ece*


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## Kennedy C (Jun 28, 2015)

One bad apple in Houston (or the handful that have been accused of other bad acts in other places) is a not a reflection of the 10s of thousands of drivers, who have completed millions of trips, without incident.


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## Kennedy C (Jun 28, 2015)

Here is the link to the Sarasota city commission meeting for Tues, Sept 8. The proposed ordinances are attached as pdf's to the agenda. Looks like it's a cab/transpo company's wet dream.

http://sarasota.granicus.com/GeneratedAgendaViewer.php?view_id=70&event_id=1937


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## UberNorthStar (Jul 7, 2015)

I would believe an upstanding citizen who is serious about starting a taxi business utilizing the Uber platform would have no problem paying the city fees to be drug tested and be finger printed for an FBI background check.


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## Kennedy C (Jun 28, 2015)

I agree.


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## Mycarhatesme (Jul 21, 2015)

*Uber manager says proposal a killer *

*SARASOTA - Uber likely will cease operations in Sarasota if the City Commission on Tuesday passes sweeping new regulations the company says will place undue hardship on its drivers.


Enlarge*
The Uber app on an iPhone.

"If the current ordinance is passed and fully implemented as written, it would be impossible for Uber to continue operating in Sarasota," said the company's general manager for Sarasota, Christine Mitchell.

Uber, which entered the Sarasota market several months ago, uses a web-based platform allowing passengers to digitally hail a vehicle driven by one of its independent contractors, whose fares are generally lower than those charged by traditional cabs.

The venture has been successful, as evidenced by a growing number of residents who use the service.

But it's also been largely unregulated. Prompted by complaints by traditional taxicab companies, the city aims to change that.

"You can't selectively regulate one and not the other," City Attorney Bob Fournier said at a meeting in June.

The new rules, if adopted, would consider Uber a regular taxi service. That means its drivers would have to adhere to the same standards as those operating cabs, including the need for 24/7 commercial insurance, extensive background checks and a special $35 license that the city already has cited some Uber drivers for lacking.

Unlike cab drivers, though, Uber drivers aren't employed by the company. They work as independent operators who use their own vehicles, buy their own gas and pay for their own maintenance.

They and their passengers are, however, covered by Uber's commercial auto liability insurance of up to $1 million per incident. The city's proposal requires its drivers purchase more commercial insurance at their own expense.

"It may not be worth my while to drive if I'm docked additional for insurance," said Mary Acosta, who has been making ends meet by driving part-time for Uber since getting laid off from her $80,000-a-year job in March.

A corporate manager by profession, Acosta said she has been unable to find comparable work in the city despite applying for an estimated six dozen jobs. So she works two part-time gigs, one of them being Uber, while awaiting more stable employment.

"I'm not getting rich by any means and am very much still paycheck to paycheck," Acosta said, "but it's allowing me to eat, basically."

The city's proposed amendments also strengthen its existing taxicab ordinance overall, with a tougher background check and bans for any drivers - including Uber drivers - with a violent felony in the previous 10 years or any non-violent felony in the previous five years.

Also new: Vehicles would have to be inspected by a certified mechanic. Those dating back more than 10 years would be prohibited from operating.

Fines ranging from $50 to $500 could be imposed on failure to comply with the code, and the city could still revoke licenses to operate.

Acosta said she already passed a background check when she joined Uber and doesn't feel she should have to pay the city to submit to yet another one.

"I'm clean as a whistle," she said.

Acosta averages about two dozen trips per week and says her passengers are mostly locals under the age of 40 who depend on Uber for rides to and from work or the beach.

They're people like Gabriel Hament, who uses the service to get downtown every weekend. He worries the city is trying to regulate Uber out of existence. Other cities, he noted, have passed more Uber-friendly ordinances that regulate the service without unfairly burdening its drivers.

Among those cities is Gainesville, which last week passed new rules it had devised in collaboration with the ride-sharing company. Mitchell said she has been trying to find common ground with Sarasota city officials, too.

The city has in hand a copy of a proposal similar to those passed in other states and jurisdictions where Uber and other ride-sharing services continue to thrive. She hopes commissioners give serious consideration to the issue before taking a vote.

"We hope the commissioners understand," Mitchell said, "that thousands of riders and hundreds of local entrepreneurs are at risk of losing access to safe, reliable transportation options and flexible income opportunities if the current draft ordinance is passed into law."

*http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20150905/article/150909781?p=1&tc=pg*


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## UberNorthStar (Jul 7, 2015)

Uber liability insurance does _nothing_ for the Uber driver in an U driver at fault accident. There is no commercial medical or commercial collision coverage _for the U driver._ One's personal auto insurance in TX can cancel a driver's policy if they learn one is a TNC driver.

The solution is for a driver to change their coverage to a company that provides TNC insurance & personal insurance in the same policy. Commercial Liability would remain with Uber.

I say this not knowing the regs for Sarasota taxi cabs. All it takes is one incident with an unrelated driver for the city to tell Uber to cease and desist working in Sarasota.

JM2¢W


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## UberNorthStar (Jul 7, 2015)

https://uberpeople.net/threads/queensland-driver-goes-berserk-runs-over-riders-leg.34811/

Check this thread out, esp the news story the Uber driver used to be a local cabby.


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## DrivingStPete (Jul 30, 2015)

Pretty interesting...

Sarasota Deregulates Hire Services Uber 
http://www.wtsp.com/story/news/loca...lates-hire-services-uber-lyft-taxis/71908742/


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## Big Sexy Vip (Jul 27, 2015)

Gonna be a free for all!! Now any rapist, ctiminal, tertorist, murderor, can pick up where ever. The public is dumb and stupid. But what the heck, saves me about $180 I'm reneval fees.


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## Lack9133 (Mar 26, 2015)

Kennedy C said:


> One bad apple in Houston (or the handful that have been accused of other bad acts in other places) is a not a reflection of the 10s of thousands of drivers, who have completed millions of trips, without incident.


Tell that to all the Uber cheerleaders bashing the taxi industry in Sarasota.


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