Thanks to Sen. Bill Ferguson and Del. Kathy Szeliga for their commentary, "Give ridesharing a home in Md.
That's mistaken. The essential rules governing businesses of all kinds are long-established — they include keep your promises, operate in a safe manner and respect others and their property. Likewise the rules pertinent to road transport: Drive on the right, signal before turning, maintain your vehicle, and so on.
Driven by their desire for more satisfied customers and hence more business and income, Uber and Lyft have established additional rules about insurance requirements, drivers' customer-satisfaction ratings, response times, vehicle age, vehicle cleanliness, responsibility to pick up all qualified riders, and so on. In response to public reaction, they are still evolving their pricing rules.
Where is evidence that ridesharing requires any additional legislated rules? The authors observe, somewhat enviously perhaps, that officials in other states and jurisdictions have crafted new laws to make certain ridesharing remains a long-term option in the transportation marketplace.
But wait a minute. Won't ridesharing remain an option as long as people like it and the legislature permits them to use it? What would "new laws" add?
The lawmakers state proudly that they have introduced a regulatory framework that would create a permanent home for Uber, Lyft and other ridesharing options across the entire state. Why do we need that? After all, they have made clear that ridesharing already has a home here, having been "embraced by thousands of consumers and entrepreneurs."
Ridesharing started, grew up and flourished without governments noticing. To help it thrive, the Maryland legislature should keep doing what it has been doing — nothing.
Howard Baetjer Jr., Towson
The writer is a lecturer in Towson University's Department of Economics.