Ohio Governor John Kasich recently signed into law new statewide regulations ride-share companies like Uber and Lyft. The new laws trump regulations put in place by local governments.
The legislation sets up new requirements for drivers, including background checks, insurance, and photo IDs. Drivers will also have to provide riders with upfront cost estimates for their trip.
The bill’s co-sponsor, State Representative Bob Hackett, says it clears up confusion for drivers.
“If you were a driver and you were taking someone from Columbus to Cleveland and you operate out of Columbus, you wouldn’t know what the regulatory rules were in Cleveland, it’d be very very difficult.”
Last year the city of Dayton amended its taxi and transportation ordinance to regulate ride share services. Commissioner Matt Joseph says the state has just caught up to what cities like Dayton were trying to do.
“Our biggest concern has been, and will continue to be, that residents are secure when they get rides, that we know these are reputable people providing the services, and I think that these state rules just sort of reaffirm that our approach that we took last year was probably the right one,” he said.
One change for Uber drivers operating in Dayton is that instead of registering with the city as a taxi service, drivers will now register with the state.
