As America's income inequality continues to grow, more people are turning to the so-called 'sharing' economy just to make ends meet. One of the segments of the sharing economy is ride-sharing. The ride-sharing service Uber is trying to hire 10 thousand more drivers in the state, including 3 thousand in Columbus. The San Francisco-based company will work with local organizations and hold recruiting events Columbus City Council last year approved regulations requiring drivers to obtain a vehicle-for-hire license, pass a background check and vehicle inspections. 25 hundred drivers are registered in the city. .State lawmakers are considering a bill providing one set of regulations for ride-sharing services. Ohio Public Radio's Andy Chow reports.
Republican state lawmakers, including House Speaker Cliff Rosenberger and Senate President Keith Faber, are welcoming Uber’s announcement. Representative Bob Hackett added that they’re working on creating uniform regulations.
“We want to have one set of rules for an industry like this that does so well it just doesn’t make sense for them to have a driver to go everywhere they go they have a whole other set of rules,” said Hackett.
That bill passed the House and awaits Senate approval. Über operates in six Ohio cities, but its competitor Lyft has run into regulation obstacles in Columbus.
