Jackson passes Uber regulations, now it's 'on them'

After months of discussion, the Jackson City Council passed an ordinance aimed at regulating transportation-network companies like Uber Tuesday evening.

The set of regulations, written and revised by Ward 2 Councilman Melvin Priester Jr., passed 3-1.

"We’ve taken them out of a grey area and given them a specific lane," Priester said.

The ordinance requires companies pay a $5,000 registration fee and a $500 annual fee as they apply to the city for a license. Jackson would also require the licensed companies to perform background checks on their drivers and the city would audit their records.

The new rule does not require drivers be drug tested or fingerprinted as a previous version of the ordinance did. Those requirements were the biggest things that "drove a wedge between the city and Uber," Priester said.

Priester said other cities across the country do not impose drug testing on similar drivers.

"The lack of drug testing is uniform. That is something I wasn’t aware of when I initially proposed this ordinance," Priester said.

Ward 3 Councilman Kenneth Stokes, Ward 5 Councilman Charles Tillman and Ward 7 Councilwoman Margaret Barrett-Simon did not attend the meeting.

Ward 4 Councilman De’Keither Stamps, the only member opposing the ordinance, said he prioritizes the safety of the riders who use the app — including his daughter.

“As much as we want to be Uber friendly, I don’t want her to get in the car with someone who hasn’t had a drug test or a background check,” Stamps said.

Priester said there are safety options available through Uber that taxi cabs do not have. When a rider requests an Uber, they are able to see the name and a photo of the driver, the car they will be riding in and the license plate.

The fact that users can kick drivers off the app if they're unsuitable for the job represents a “responsiveness that doesn’t exist with traditional taxis,” Priester said.

Priester said he believes the current ordinance balances the safety of Jacksonians without "chas(ing) Uber out of town."

An Uber spokesperson said it's likely the company will be able to operate under the guidelines set forth in the most recent ordinance. The spokesperson failed to return calls requesting for a Jackson-based representative.

The only thing that may cause Uber concerns now, Priester said, is a provision mandating that drivers obtain the insurance required by state law for vehicle for hire drivers. The company as well as each of its drivers would have to be covered under a Mississippi insurance carrier.

“If they leave, this is on them,” Stamps said. “It’s not that Jackson drove them out.”

Contact Anna Wolfe at (601) 961-7326 or awolfe@gannett.com. Follow @ayewolfe on Twitter.