Lyft and Kansas City may reunite thanks to new ride-sharing law
April 27, 2017 | Bobby Burch
Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens on Monday signed legislation that could bring the ride-sharing company Lyft back to the Kansas City market.
Passed with strong support from Missouri lawmakers, Gov. Greitens’ signature sets forth regulations for ride-sharing companies such as Uber and Lyft, including licensing fees, background checks and inspections.
Lyft halted its Kansas City operations in October of 2014 after the city established for-hire transportation regulations it deemed as too burdensome. In 2015 the company said it wouldn’t return to Kansas City, while Uber agreed to work within the new regulatory framework. Uber and Lyft issued statements saying the new law — which also exempts ride-sharing companies from local and municipal taxes — will allow them to expand throughout Missouri.
The law should help create a more competitive environment for ride-sharing firms in Kansas City, Mo. and create more jobs around the state. Lyft is now in operation in Kansas City, Kan. and Johnson County.
The Kansas City Star reports that the new law will spur most area taxis to operate like Uber and Lyft vehicles. Bill George — the CEO of Kansas City Transportation Group, which operates hundreds of taxis in the area — said that cabs operating under Yellow Cab and 10/10 Taxi will be shifted to zTrip, a “transportation network company” or TNC. TNCs fall under the same state licensing rules as Uber and Lyft.
2017 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Chris Brown: 37 lessons from five years of being my own boss
Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. Chris Brown is the founder of Venture Legal where he represents startups, freelancers, and small businesses. This column (originally published by Venture Legal) is intended to be general in detail and does not constitute legal advice. Five years ago I took a huge…
MADI Apparel founder: ‘It’s not just underwear, it’s dignity’
Hayley Besheer relocated her apparel company’s headquarters from Florida to Kansas City after discovering a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem and curious customer base, the founder of MADI Apparel said. “Here [in KC] it feels more like [customers can] come into our space and can learn about the mission and [in Florida] everything was sold on online,”…
Year-end roundup: Checking in with Startland’s 2018 Startups to Watch
It was a year of refinement, said Chris Goode, as well as a time to rejoice amid highs and lows at Ruby Jean’s Juicery. Startland checked in with the founder, along with his fellow 2018 Startups to Watch companies, to see if the past 12 months unfolded as predicted. While working to expand Ruby Jean’s…
American Voter App gives power, political sway back to the people, founders say
Gamifying the political process could score a more engaged voting public, said Dan Prince, co-founder of the American Voter App, explaining the still-developing technology would be the first to put the power of the ballot box conveniently into users’ smartphones, he said. “We all realize our obligation to be informed and educated and vote on…