TNC

As of March 21, Uber and Lyft have registered with the City of Ashland. Drivers will need to register with APD before picking up in Ashland. Click here to fill out the application and be prepared to provide a copy of your driver's license, proof of insurance, eligibility to drive for Uber or Lyft, and pay the $60 fee (a single fee even if driving for both).

If you have any questions, you can reach out to the Police Department at (541) 488-2211.

 

February 20, 2019 Update: The Ashland City Council voted to approve the TNC Ordinance with four in the affirmative and two in the negative at the February 19, 2019 Council Meeting. The Ordinance will go into effect 30 days later on March 21, 2019.

Currently, the City has not heard from Uber and Lyft if they are willing to operate in Ashland after the Ordinance goes into effect. 

February 11, 2019 Update: At the February 5 Ashland City Council meeting the City Council approved with a four to two vote, the second reading of Ordinance No. 3165 Related to Vehicles for Hire, Amending Ashland Municipal Code (AMC) 6.28.080 and AMC 6.28.190 and Deleting AMC 6.28.090. This Ordinance allows for Transportation Network Companies, including Uber and Lyft, to operate within the City of Ashland. 

While it has passed, the Mayor has exercised his right to veto the Ordinance based on “Veto of Ordinance 3165 Related to Vehicles for Hire” document. The Mayor would like the City Councilors to reconsider the Ordinance using the questions included in the above document.

The Ordinance will be brought back before the City Council at the February 19 Council meeting.  

February 6, 2019 Update: The Ashland City Council held a second reading of the amended Ordinance taking out on the provisions for requiring Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles and requiring vehicle safety inspections on Tuesday, February 5, 2019. The provisions were removed based on the comments from both Uber and Lyft that they would not provide service to Ashland with those provisions in place. The Ordinance passed with a four to two vote by City Councilors and will go into effect 30 days from February 5. There is no word on if Uber and Lyft are willing to accept these changes and will provide service for Ashland. For more information on the amended Ordinance, click here

Previous information: The City has passed an Ordinance that provides a path for TNC operation on September 18, 2018 that went into affect on October 18, 2018. The Ordinance was put in place to balance the safety and transportation equity of our citizens with the contractual needs of TNCs. 

Unfortunately, Uber nor Lyft have not contacted the City to discuss their apparent decision to not operate in Ashland. Instead, the City has received the information via the media.  
 
When approving the Ordinance that paved the way for Uber and Lyft to operate in Ashland, the Council required provisions which they believed protected and ensured equity for citizens.  They required vehicle safety checks which was seen by the Council as an effort to ensure that our citizens were safely transported.  The safety check is the sole responsibility of the driver and does not affect the TNCs.  Potential TNC drivers that have contacted the City have not had an issue with the vehicle safety check. The second issue Uber and Lyft may have is that the Council required the TNCs to provide a handicapped accessible vehicle in their fleet. The Council believes that transportation equity is important.
 
Those interested can contact Uber and Lyft and express their desire for them to provide service in Ashland. There is no doubt that TNCs can provide a valuable service and the City Council did not want to preclude their operation in Ashland.  They were simply trying to ensure that that valuable service was safe and accessible to all.

The City of Ashland has regulated taxicab companies and taxicabs through the Ashland Municipal Code (AMC) for almost 20 years, but the AMC does not address newer forms of vehicle for hire services offered by Transportation Network Companies (TNCs), such as Uber and Lyft.  In addition, the AMC does not allow TNCs to operate under their current models.  The City is considering amendments to the AMC to address these newer forms of vehicle for hire services.  The proposed amendments are set forth in the below ordinance.  The proposed ordinance was presented to the Transportation Commission at its May 17, June 21, and July 19, 2018 meetings in order for it to make a formal recommendation for the City Council’s consideration to be discussed at the August 21, 2018 Council Business Meeting with a second reading of the ordinance scheduled for the September 18, 2018 Council Business Meeting.
 

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