Ohio adds new hoops for ridesharing services
Governor Kasich has signed into law a bill putting ridesharing services like Uber and Lyft under the direct authority of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio.
While Uber and Lyft have maintained that they are tech companies, the state considers them to be ‘transportation network companies’ and as such, they’ll be required to obtain and maintain permits with PUCO. It also means that driver partners with those (and other) ridesharing companies will need to meet certain insurance requirements and undergo background checks.
The companies themselves will be required to be more open about the methods that they use to establish pricing for consumers.
In a statement, Uber applauded the new law:
Today, two years after Uber arrived in Ohio, Governor Kasich signed HB 237 into law – a bill that allows ridesharing to flourish across the state. With the leadership of Senator Faber, Senator LaRose, Representative Hackett, Representative Duffey and Speaker Rosenberger – along with the members of the House and Senate and Governor Kasich – Ohio now joins the nearly two dozen states across the country that have adopted ridesharing regulations to protect consumer choice and promote economic opportunity.
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