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Lexington Council Committee Votes to Repeal Taxi Cab Ordinance

kentucky.com

Lexington’s taxi cab ordinance could be on its way out.  After months of debate, the council’s Planning and Public Safety Committee voted 7-3 Tuesday to repeal local regulations.  The move comes as council works to help cab companies remain competitive amid the rise of transportation network companies like Uber and Lyft.  Ride sharing companies are only regulated at the state level.  Vice Mayor Steve Kay voted to repeal the taxi law. “If we could level the playing field someway and still have some regulation we’d like to do that, but that does not seem to be possible,” said Kay.

Even if the final decision is made to repeal the Lexington taxi ordinance, each individual cab driver is expected to have a business license.   City Administrative Officer for Public Safety Rick Curtis says it’s difficult to keep up with the number of ride sharing drivers.  “We don’t know who’s operating the TNC’s here,” said Curtis.  “They should be getting business licenses, but we don’t know.  And I’ve heard numbers upward of 400 or more that are working for the two TNC’S.”

TNC’s or transportation network companies are app based businesses.  The recommendation to repeal the taxi ordinance is expected to be before the full council in January.?

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