Birmingham City Council gives Uber the green light
After a months-long push to allow Magic City residents to hail rides from the popular ridesharing app Uber, Birmingham City Council voted to approve an ordinance that would do just that on Tuesday. Representatives from the firm lauded the move popular service, along with competitors like Lyft, to open up shop in Alabama’s largest city within weeks. “Today’s action by the City Council is a win for riders, drivers and the city of Birmingham. We thank Council President Austin for his leadership, and look forward to bringing safe rides and economic opportunity to the Magic City in the coming weeks,” said Tom Maguire, General Manager for Uber’s operations in Alabama. Under the just-passed ordinance approved by a vote of 7-1, Maguire said he hopes Uber can begin offering rides as soon as the end of 2015. The ordinance – which Uber urged users to support via an in-app appeal – came with a last-minute amendment offered during the meeting. The amendment created a six-month provisional window during which the city will evaluate the status of safety, taxation, and other municipal concerns. City Councilors Valerie Abbott voted no, while Councilor Kim Rafferty abstained. Council President Johnathan Austin came out in support of the bill, after missing a meeting last month that had to shut down for lack of a quorum. Austin blamed the poor turnout by members on the the meeting’s proximity to the Thanksgiving holiday. Councilors Lashunda Scales, Valerie Abbott, William Parker, Sheila Tyson, Jay Roberson, Steven Hoyt, and Marcus Lundy also voted in the affirmative. The move came after about an hour and a half of debate, including some questions about city legal staff about how Uber’s vetting process for drivers. The amendment creating the six-month review period quelled those and other questions nay-sayers presented Tuesday. The ordinance doesn’t go into effect immediately, however. Birmingham Mayor William Bell – who had signaled his support for ridesharing in the past – must sign it in order for it to take force. Ride-hailing firms must then apply for and receive licenses for prospective drivers. The smaller municipalities of Homewood and Mountain Brook also recently passed ordinances to allow Uber et al. to operate within those city limits, making Birmingham the third city in the Yellowhammer State to open its roads to the services, though provisionally, at least for now.
Uber stoking support in Birmingham with new in-app “future view”
The ride-hailing app Uber has gotten creative in its months-long push to open up shop in Birmingham. Starting Friday, when you open up the app in the Magic City, instead of a car-less road map symbolizing the lack of progress in the City Council users will see a view of the future as supporters see it, in which Ubers are zipping up and down Second Avenue North. You’ll also get a little background on the firm’s regulatory battle with city officials and an option to help out the cause. “Make Uber a reality in B’ham!” a new dialogue in the app implores Birmingham. “This is how easy getting a safe ride could be if City Council pass draft regulations proposed at the meeting on Nov. 17 Committee of the Whole meeting. “Email City Council, urge them to PASS these smart ridesharing regulations this Tuesday,” reads the appeal, along with an option email your councilor. Earlier City Council meetings scheduled to take up the pro-ridesharing rules didn’t exactly live up to expectations. Five councilors failed to show up for a meeting in November, where Uber’s favored ordinance was on the docket. Council President Johnathan Austin, Councilman Steven Hoyt, Councilwoman Sheila Tyson, Councilwoman Lashunda Scales and Councilman Marcus Lundy did not attend the meeting, requiring members to adjourn for lack of a quorum. “There was no quorum. There was no consideration. There was no class,” said one AL.com editorial. “It’s all about petty politics, about fights over contractors and lobbyists.” Austin ascribed the absences to the meeting’s close proximity to the Thanksgiving holiday. Either way, Uber state General Manager Tom Maguire said Friday he is hopeful Tuesday’s meeting will be more productive. “Since August, Birmingham City Council has been working to revise regulations so that Uber can operate in the Magic City, and there’s no reason to delay any further,” said Maguire. “With this app view, Birmingham residents and visitors can see for themselves how easy it could be to get a ride in Birmingham, and what reality could look like in just a few weeks if the City Council passes the draft regulations from the November 17 Committee of the Whole meeting,” Maguire said. See below for screenshots of the new appeal:
