Online ride sharing companies adapting to Californian rules


If Lyft’s customers were this happy before there were rules, just think how they must feel now.

California’s pioneering attempt to regulate online ride sharing services such as Lyft and Uber seems to be going as smoothly anyone could expect. The California Public Utilities Commission was briefed this morning on progress made since it adopted rules setting safety, training, insurance and other operational standards for transportation network companies, as it now calls them, including…

Obtain a permit from the [CPUC]…require criminal background checks for each driver, establish a driver training program, implement a zero-tolerance policy on drugs and alcohol, and require insurance coverage.

Five companies applied for permits, including Rasier, which is Uber’s California arm, Lyft, Wingz (formerly Tickengo), Sidecar and Summon (formerly InstantCab). Only Summon has made it though the process, with the other four still smoothing out rough spots in their applications.

As might be expected from entrepreneurial start ups, all five had innovative interpretations of what the regulations actually require. None proposed using traditional state-certified driving schools for their training programs, instead relying on various mixtures of online training and in person coaching. The CPUC hasn’t fully blessed those approaches – it kicked back Rasier’s original plan to just give drivers a list of schools – and plans to evaluate actual results in the fall.

Originally, these app-enabled companies tried to fly under the regulatory radar by claiming to only be connecting willing private individuals who were looking for casual rides. But as the businesses became more sophisticated it was increasingly difficult to maintain that position in the face of bitter opposition from taxi companies that were accustomed to leveraging local licensing rules to restrict competition and keep prices artificially high. After some initial skirmishing, including fines and cease and desist orders, the CPUC developed and approved the new rules last September.

In other actions, the CPUC delayed voting on three broadband projects proposed for subsidies from the California Advanced Services Fund. The contentious Cressman proposal submitted by Ponderosa Telephone Company was bumped to April to comply with public notice laws and the two Surfnet projects were delayed two weeks, so they can be taken up at the same time as the related Sunesys project.

Tellus Venture Associates assisted with several CASF proposals in the current round, including the Surfnet and Sunesys projects, so I’m not a disinterested commentator. Take it for what it’s worth.