House gives first approval to ride-sharing legislation

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — While local municipalities continue to slog through long, sometimes contentious negotiations with ride-sharing companies like Uber and Lyft, Missouri state lawmakers took a step toward moving the game and advanced a bill establishing ride-sharing regulations statewide.

HB781, sponsored by Republican Rep. Don Gosen, largely dealt with how drivers and “transportation network companies” are covered by automobile insurance companies. But the bill also sought to prohibit any local government from creating more strict regulations than the ones codified into state law.

Earlier this month, lawmakers in Kansas City voted to effectively boot Uber from the city after negotiations broke down over background checks of Uber’s drivers. For roughly the last year, Lyft has been prohibited from operating in St. Louis after the city sought a temporary restraining order (TRO) against them for conducting business without obtaining necessary licenses from the St. Louis Metropolitan Taxicab Commission. A few months later, Uber obtained narrow permission from St. Louis regulators to operate a “premium sedan” car service in the city.

Since then, St. Louis officials anticipate newer, and possibly better negotiations with Lyft, once the TRO expires. But those same officials told The Missouri Times that Uber has largely turned it’s eye toward a statewide series of regulations instead of negotiating with individual cities.

Rep. Jay Barnes, R-Jefferson City, successfully attached an amendment on the floor that would pull taxicab industry professionals from local taxi commissions. The St. Louis MTC has 9 total members, but 4 are industry professionals.

The House gave the underlying bill with amendments initial approval by a voice vote which was unusually close. They must still take another vote before sending the measure to the Senate.