Things will get a bit easier for rideshare drivers and their customers under a bill Governor Inslee signed into law last week. Senate Bill 5550, originally sponsored by Senators Cyrus Habib and Joe Fain, provides a statewide structure of insurance requirements for rideshare companies to allow rideshare expansion across the state. WPC provided analysis on the bill back in February.
According to the Kirkland Reporter, Senator Habib says the law “will ensure that the public, passengers and drivers have the insurance coverage to keep everyone safe and that consumers across the state will have access to these exciting and innovative transportation options.”
The Senators’ bill reflects the recent rideshare movement in Seattle and in other areas across the state. In early 2014, the Seattle City Council imposed tough restrictions on rideshare services. In response, the rideshare industry quickly gathered tens of thousands of signatures to place a measure on the ballot to eliminate regulatory burdens on the industry. The popularity of ridesharing led Seattle Mayor Ed Murray to host negotiations between taxi owners, drivers, and rideshare companies, resulting in a deregulation of the industry.
Bob Pishue ([email protected]) is director of the Coles Center for Transportation at the Washington Policy Center. An earlier version of this article appeared at http://www.washingtonpolicy.org/blog/post/rideshares-now-under-statewide-framework-%E2%80%93-senate-bill-5550-signed-governor-inslee. Reprinted with permission.
The photo “Seattle Traffic” is copyright © 2009 Oran Viriyincy, and was made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.
