The City Council is proposing to amend its ordinance relating to Taxicabs, Buses and other Vehicles for hire to provide for fines to anyone that violates the ordinance. The first reading of this amendment is set for Tuesday, March 10, 2015. Specifically, the amended ordinance establishes the following:
"Each violation of this chapter shall constitute a separate offense and each offense shall be
punishable as a Class C misdemeanor and shall each be punishable by a fine not to
exceed $500.00 for each day the violation exists".
I am not a lawyer, however, this appears to me as a means of keeping innovative transportation concepts like Uber and Lyft out of Georgetown. Ride sharing seems like a consumer friendly approach to solving some of our transportation problems. These services in other cities have proven to be responsive to customers, economically favorable to customers, and provide great opportunities for students, single mothers and others who want flexible part-time work.
The city should not be erecting regulatory barriers that require more city bureaucracy and financially penalize customers and operators.
Unless and until a pattern of abuse and problems is manifested, the City should not be picking business winners and losers by establishing punitive ordinances. Instead, it should be encouraging innovative transportation concepts that help Georgetown citizens to save both money and time in meeting their transportation needs.
Our elected city leaders do not have the general public's interest in so many of their decisions.
ReplyDelete