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Rideshare Bill Clears State Senate Committee

Full Assembly Passed Similar Regulation Earlier In The Week

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View of the rearview mirror of a car from the back seat
Joakim Formo (CC-BY-NC-SA)

A state Senate committee passed a bill Thursday that would benefit rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft that compete with traditional taxi cabs. Earlier this week, the Assembly approved the legislation.

The bill imposes statewide rules on companies that pick up passengers in private vehicles hailed by smart phone. Kathleen Vinehout was the only member of the Senate Government Operations Committee to vote ‘no’. The Alma Democrat said her constituents generally don’t want the state to regulate this industry.

“Some of them think the best regulation is not regulation at all. But if we are going to have any regulation we ought to have it at the local level.”

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The bill’s author, Sen. Paul Farrow, R-Pewaukee, called ridesharing services a unique transportation model that needs to be considered.

The bill requires companies to have a license and conduct background checks on drivers. It also requires companies to have at least $1 million in liability insurance.