TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Drivers who work for ride sharing companies like Uber and Lyft would be required to carry a state-backed insurance policy and adhere to stricter background checks if state lawmakers get their way.
The legislation is a part of a fight between the startup companies and traditional cab companies.
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Uber is currently insured by an out-of-state company. The Senate's bill would allow insurance claims to be paid by the state if a driver's insurance company went bankrupt.
The House and Senate have six days to get their bills synched up if they hope to pass any regulation.
Lawmakers are trying to set the rules for ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft, which allow people to turn their vehicles into pop-up taxis for money.
While almost any car on the road could be used as a ride-sharing vehicle, lawmakers said the problems that they need to fix start with the insurance card in a driver's wallet.
Sen. David Simmons' bill would require ride-share drivers to carry minimum state-regulated insurance policies regardless of whether they're on the clock. Most policies don't cover ride sharing.
"First things first, and that's taking care of citizens in the state of Florida who may be injured as a result of an injury in an automobile in which there was ride sharing for which there's absolutely no insurance coverage," Simmons said.
The House has a similar proposal, but an amendment passed Thursday will put potential drivers through a tougher Level 2 background check.
"Why would we not want to insure that every rider that gets in a ride-share company vehicle has some protection or at least the best protection that we can give them?" Rep. Kathleen Peters said.
Taxi company lobbyist Ron Book said all such decisions should be made city by city.
"They should be required to carry the same levels of insurance that taxi and limo companies are required to carry," Book said. "We don't believe there should be exceptions to a pre-emption."
The House's version of the bill would pre-empt local regulations that have passed around Florida.