Can we work together?

You are leaving the office and have to catch a plane to the airport. If you are not getting a ride from family of friends, how do you get there? In many places you can:

1. Call a cab to pick you up
2. Call a limo to pick you up
3. Call a service like Uber or Lyft to pick you up

You would think that these services might be regulated exactly the same way, after all they are all doing the same thing – providing a ride to you from one place to another for a fee. But that may not be the case. These services may be regulated in completely different ways. This is another issue the state legislature is trying to address.

I have never taken Uber, or a limo for that matter, and it has been a while since I took a cab, but I do wonder why they should be regulated in different ways. I am not saying one is better than the other, but wondering why they should be treated differently.

Currently, cab and limo services are regulated by local units of government. This past week, the Michigan House passed legislation that would stop local governments from regulating services like Uber. The senate appears to be heading down a different path. They seem like they want to fold companies like Uber into the state act that regulates cabs and limos, hopefully providing for a more comprehensive systems approach.

I understand some of the problems associated with the cab and limo business. Current cab regulations and local decisions make it difficult for the cab industry to become players in regional transportation. Uber is going after the same customers. It strikes me that this is an opportunity to have some discussion on how cabs, Uber, and other share ride options and public transit can be woven into an integrated transportation network that works together with one another.

I hope the legislature and the governor carefully consider every aspect of this issue before coming up with a solution. We need more and more coordinated ways of getting around. I am not sure this legislation works to that end.