Uber Bill Appears Dead, But Lawmaker Vows To Press On

Rep. Alan Powell, R-Hartwell, says House Bill 907 can still be tacked onto a Senate bill later in session.

“Quite frankly, if it wasn’t a public safety issue, I’d tell them exactly where they can stick their Uber because Uber corporate did a discredit to the process,” said Powell, who serves as the chair of the House Public Safety Committee.

He accuses Uber of conducting a “misinformation campaign,” particularly through social media.

“They need to put out a letter to the General Assembly that we’re not in fact trying to put them out of business and the terms of this legislation are needed. If they do that then I’ll bring the bill up,” said Powell. “If not, we’ll see what comes up next year.”

HB 907 would set minimum requirements for all internet-based car services in terms of liability insurance, car inspections, fingerprinting, and backgrounds checks – requirements traditional taxi companies have complied with for years.

According to Uber, the company already requires hefty insurance policies for each car and conducts background checks.

Last month, in an opinion piece, Uber Atlanta General Manager Keith Radford suggested the bill was anti-innovative and restrictive.

Now, Radford says a revised version of HB 907 is getting closer to acceptable

“We’re not opposed to regulation. We will work to make sure the ultimate bill that gets passed takes into account any concerns that we have as a business and I think the legislation has gotten much closer to that.”

Radford also denied spreading misinformation, saying he can’t control what others say on the internet.