Jefferson City officials are discussing potential changes to allow more transportation options, such as Uber, to operate in the Capital City.
At the Council Committee on Administration meeting Wednesday, City Attorney Drew Hilpert presented a draft ordinance revision that would change the requirements to operate any type of vehicle for hire, such as taxis or ride-sharing services like Uber. The main changes proposed in the revision would eliminate the city's requirement for a certificate of need to operate a vehicle for hire. The certificate, required to obtain a license, proves a new company is serving a need that is currently not being met in the city.
Hilpert said Jefferson City requires a vehicle-for-hire service to have the certificate of need and uniformity among the vehicles, which would not be acceptable to companies like Uber that operate by having individuals drive their own private vehicles. The city's ordinance also sets the fares that can be charged by such services and requires the company operate 24 hours, seven days a week.
Hilpert said if the city opens the market, they could lose the 24-hour service, as some hours are not profitable, which would leave no alternative transportation available as the city's transit system does not run in the evenings or on weekends.
Tom Landwehr, owner of Checker Cab Company, said he loses money operating on Sundays and between the hours of 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. The only way he can operate during those times, he said, is by earning enough of a profit at other times to cover.
If the city eliminates the certificate of need, he said it will "degrade the gravy hours" to the point he can't afford to operate during the non-peak hours.
The ordinance changes also have been discussed by the Public Safety Committee last month. Second Ward Councilman Rick Mihalevich, who chairs that committee, said the most recent changes proposed help address the three main concerns of the police chief: background check requirements, insurance requirements and how to properly identify vehicles for passengers.
Hilpert said he was not requesting the committee take any action Wednesday, as the proposed changes will now go to the Transportation and Traffic Commission next week for further review.
Third Ward Councilman Ken Hussey said he's not a regular user of the city's existing cab service and would like to hear input from those who rely on cabs before making any decisions.
"We've talked about this for months," Hussey said. "I haven't heard a whole lot from constituents."