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
Founder of defunct Symptomly shares lessons from failure
Failure is a touchy subject. But for Derek Bereit — the former CEO and co-founder of mobile asthma tracking company Symptomly — his company’s failure was an opportunity shrouded in a difficult situation. Rather than sulking, Bereit sat down with Startland News to discuss Symptomly’s demise, the lessons it provided him and the possibilities that…
Founders discuss tough decisions entrepreneurs face
Two founders took the stage at Kansas City’s chapter of 1 Million Cups to discuss the vast variety of tough decisions entrepreneurs face when starting and running a business. Stuart Ludlow, co-founder of RFP 365 and Sarah Shipley, co-founder of BikeWalkKC, offered insights and advice for those launching a business. Read about RFP365’s recent funding…
Lenexa studio joins national coworking relief effort for Nepal
Despite the nearly 8,000 miles between them, a Kansas City-area coworking studio is helping with relief efforts in Nepal after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake destroyed hundreds of buildings and claimed thousands of lives. Lenexa-based Plexpod has joined the international “Coworking for Nepal” movement that has attracted dozens of studios to encourage fundraising for Nepal relief…