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Uber Launches Online Petition For Legislation During Special Session

Uber is operational in Tallahassee.
Uber.com

A plan to regulate the ride-share app Uber stalled in the legislature, but the company isn’t giving up. It’s started an online petition that’s garnered more than 21,000 signatures so far.

The company wants the legislature to pass a bill, and says the move is important for drivers like Tallahassee’s Rodger Bell.

“This has afforded me the opportunity to look for full time employment in addition to earning income to help take care of my children as well as pay bills," he said during a February Tallahassee commission meeting on Uber.

Drivers like Bell are facing regulation from local governments, but the company prefers a statewide solution. The traditional taxi industry views Uber as a threat, and has raised safety and liability concerns. Legislative proposals would have forced ride-share drivers to carry up to a million dollars in coverage. The bills also had language that would preempt local rules.

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Lynn Hatter is a Florida A&M University graduate with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. Lynn has served as reporter/producer for WFSU since 2007 with education and health care issues as her key coverage areas.  She is an award-winning member of the Capital Press Corps and has participated in the NPR Kaiser Health News Reporting Partnership and NPR Education Initiative. 

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