Seattle ride-sharing cap upheld in final vote
Uber, Lyft, and other ride-sharing companies have partially lost out in their battle for Seattle's streets, with the city voting again (and for the final time) in favor of a previous preliminary cap on the services. Ride-sharing services aren't banned from the city, but are limited in how many cars they can have out at any single moment.
The vote came in at 9 to 0 in favor of the regulation, and as such ride-sharing services will not be allowed to have more than 150 cars on the road at a single time per company — something that has the various companies and some consumers up in arms over the restriction.
The perspective is different to the city's council, however, with one Bruce Harrell stating, "The headline should not read that the City Council capped anything. It should read that it allowed the ride-shares to come into the industry." Furthermore, the council stated that the cap won't be a permanent fixture in Seattle.
In the future, the city plans to remove the cap and let residents choose the transportation means they prefer. For now, however, the limitation and legislation allows Seattle to provide oversight. Reactions to the news are mixed, with some residents crying foul and others being pleased with the decision.
SOURCE: Geekwire