City closing in on deal for pilot program that would bring Uber, Lyft back to San Antonio

See the gallery above for everything you need to know about the drama between the city, the TNCs and the local cabdrivers. See the gallery above for everything you need to know about the drama between the city, the TNCs and the local cabdrivers. Photo: Â© 2012 San Antonio Express-News Photo: Â© 2012 San Antonio Express-News Image 1 of / 21 Caption Close City closing in on deal for pilot program that would bring Uber, Lyft back to San Antonio 1 / 21 Back to Gallery

SAN ANTONIO — Uber and Lyft could be headed back to San Antonio — if they can finalize a deal with the city for a pilot program that would undo some of the regulations that drove the companies from town earlier this year.

Councilman Roberto Treviño said Thursday that he’s confident he’ll have a deal to bring to the City Council on Aug. 13, when the body is expected to vote on the proposal. The firms haven’t operated in San Antonio since April 1, when a city ordinance took effect, requiring, among other things, that TNC drivers pass fingerprint background checks before picking up fares.

Last month, Mayor Ivy Taylor directed City Manager Sheryl Sculley and her staff to devise a pilot program for TNCs. She appointed Treviño, the District 1 councilman, to oversee the work. Deputy City Manager Erik Walsh and interim Police Chief Anthony Treviño and the councilman have had several meetings and telephone conversations with Uber and Lyft representatives since Taylor’s directive.

“I’m very optimistic about it,” Treviño said. “I feel that we’ve had some good talks.”

The pilot program the city is pushing would remove the requirement for drivers to have had fingerprint background checks conducted prior to picking up fares. Instead, they would opt in for fingerprint checks, which would earn them a symbol on the apps, signifying that they’ve undergone a criminal background check against the FBI’s database.

For more details, visit www.expressnews.com or read the Friday edition of the San Antonio Express-News.