Should city regulate Uber: Councilman prepares rules, taxi drivers want service regulated as like them

Chris Anderson

Uber claims that its ride-share service UberX is faster, cheaper and more convenient than taxis. At first glance the benefits seem obvious. Riders can sign up for the mobil app and instantly request a ride. You can see how far away the closest driver on your phone. Enter your credit card info once and no cash is ever exchanged. The service has now launched in Chattanooga. Staff photo illustration by Laura W. McNutt

With Uber's launch on Thursday, policy and regulation questions now hang over Chattanooga's head, and the city must decide how it will view and regulate Uber, which in other cities has refused to be treated like a taxi service. Uber has faced scores of fights over regulation.

Chattanooga leaders on Thursday telegraphed acceptance of Uber and a willingness to work with and around it.

Uber's dismissal of taxi regulations across the country, however, has calloused many taxi operators' opinions of the ride-sharing app, and the perception has carried over into Chattanooga.

Billy Guernier, general manager for regional expansion at Uber, on Thursday drew a hard line between uberX and taxis.

"Uber's not a taxi, but it's closer to a taxi than driving your own car," he said.

Tim Duckett, owner and operator of Millennium Taxi Service -- Chattanooga's largest cab company -- has been a vocal opponent of ride-shares for months, and he said again Thursday that Uber is an illegitimate player in Chattanooga's taxi industry.

"What makes Uber so special?" he said, saying acceptance of Uber stems primarily from the company's use of technology.

Duckett said that if Uber wants to be here, they ought to abide by the same taxi rules and regulations as the city's cab companies.

"They just go in and force their way in," he said. "We would go to jail for doing that."

Duckett says he doesn't fear Uber or the competition it brings. He thinks the company simply gets away with breaking rules. To help combat the rising ride-share tide, Millennium is now listed on the Tap Your Taxi mobile app, which lets customers request a taxi on their mobile phone, much like Uber.

Lacie Stone, spokeswoman for the Mayor Andy Berke's office, said the city is open to looking at anything that makes Chattanooga better. She said any ride-share regulations will have to be passed by the City Council because it would be an amendment to the city code.

Stone said the mayor's office was given a late heads-up that Uber was launching here but little more interaction. She also said the mayor's office welcomes Uber and is willing to work with the City Council on crafting regulations for ride-shares.

City Councilman Chris Anderson, chairman of the council's Economic and Community Development Committee, has been heading up Uber regulation research and is the de facto point man on the subject for the council.

He said Thursday that no legislation is currently written, but he intends to present the City Council a bill that puts ride-sharing regulations in place in Chattanooga to allow Uber to operate here.

"I've been working on this for a while," he said. "If I get my way, it'll be regulated as a separate category."

He said the city is willing to work with Uber.

Anderson said the bill he's working on would create regulations in Chattanooga similar to what Nashville has done, which is break ride-sharing companies out and treat them more like delivery, instead of taxi, service. That would require different regulations, he said.

Anderson said he doesn't know yet how the other city council members feel about the ride-share bill he's working on because he hasn't talked about it yet with them.

Contact staff writer Alex Green at agreen@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6480.