ATLANTA — Ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft may be one step closer in negotiations to be allowed to pick you up at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
For months, taxi drivers protested the possibility, saying it wouldn’t be fair.
Cabbies said they are required to give fingerprint background checks and that should apply to ride-sharing services too. But during a recent transportation work meeting, Atlanta City Council members learned that’s not necessarily true. %
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An assistant city attorney said in the meeting that no one, except for limousine drivers, are currently required to give fingerprints.
Council member Kwanza Hall said the requirements changed when House Bill 225 went into effect in 2015.
“When we discovered that the fingerprinting isn’t even necessarily mandatory in the same way that it was being presented, it makes us wonder what might we be able to do for the taxi drivers to give them a level playing field,” Hall said.
“All fingerprinting that is done is done through the Department of Driver Services. The airport can require fingerprinting for all drivers. State law says ride share drivers and taxi drivers must be treated the same way as limousine drivers, including fingerprinting,” Les Schneider, a representative for Taxi and Limousine Drivers, told Channel 2’s Sophia Choi.
Meanwhile, Uber spokesperson Bill Gibbons sent Choi a statement saying:
“It’s unfortunate that some have mischaracterized a serious public policy issue to try to limit consumer choice in transportation options and protect their own entrenched interests. Throughout discussions at the state level and at City Hall, we have been transparent about our driver screening processes and the technology that enables us to build in additional layers of safety. We hope to see a sensible regulatory framework put in place at Hartsfield-Jackson that is consistent with the state law passed in April of last year, requires the same screening process already required for all drivers in Atlanta and across the state, and is in line with the formal operating agreements we have in place with more than 50 airports across the country. Travelers arriving at the airport have come to expect and demand safe, reliable transportation option like Uber"
Hall said the city hopes to have a plan in place allowing ride-sharing services at Atlanta’s airport by the end of the year.
Cox Media Group
