Mississippi Capitol Moves Closer to Regulating Ridesharing Entities

Jackson has taken a step toward regulating ride-hailing services such as Uber after the Rules Committee of the Jackson City Council voted to send a suggested ordinance to the full council.

The suggested regulations include a $5,000 registration application fee and an annual $2,500 fee. It would have to be approved by a majority of the City Council before it could go into effect, The Clarion-Ledger reported.

Council President Melvin Priester Jr. said he doesn’t want to see Uber or other companies shut down and leave because of over-regulation.

Priester and other members on the committee said regulation is needed to prevent a company from coming in and starting without approval from the city.

“The goal is to have clear regulations for them. … We want to make sure we are fair to everyone,” Priester said.

The companies also will have to undergo an annual inspection of vehicles used to transport passengers. Drug testing of drivers would also be required.

Uber already utilizes drug testing for drivers and calls for background checks.

The proposed ordinance hasn’t been finalized, but council members said one aspect would be to require such companies to follow the same or similar rules as taxis.

Deluxe Cab Co. owner Tyra Dean, who is representing cab companies, has said they aren’t trying to run Uber out of Jackson, but they have some concerns about the company and its drivers.

“Our first concern is that they are not Jacksonians, and they don’t have to have a Jackson’s (business) license,” Dean said.

Uber’s national spokeswoman, Kaitlin Durkosh, has said the company is looking forward to working with Jackson officials to make Uber a permanent fixture in the city.