Uber Expands into Hillsboro, Beaverton, Tigard and Gresham
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
Photo Credit: iStock
The company has butted heads with regulators and taxi companies around the country, but was welcomed with open arms in Tigard and other Oregon cities.
“Uber will be a welcome addition to our growing city,” said Tigard Mayor John Cook. “I’m glad that Tigard residents will gain another transportation option to navigate the city, especially one I use when I travel. My experience has been very good – the drivers are friendly and prompt, the vehicle is clean – and I hope Tigard residents will enjoy the great service Uber provides.”
Uber said it was invited to open operations by the mayors of all four towns.
The new service will provide commuters with a new way to travel into Portland and around their respective communities. The company has been operating in the City of Vancouver, Washington for almost a year.
Uber uses a smartphone app to connect users who want a ride with drivers-for-hire who are willing to use their own private vehicles as a taxi.
Tightening a Noose Around Portland
Uber’s entry into its fifth market in the Portland metro area puts growing pressure on Oregon’s largest city to make some accommodations for the ride-sharing model.
The San Francisco-based company operates in 126 cities in the United States and 45 countries across the globe.
In many cities, such as Vancouver Wash. Uber operates in a legal grey area.
Uber has comes under fire when their drivers are less people picking up a passenger on their way to work, and more fulltime cab drivers.
This summer Uber drivers in Seattle found support from the Teamsters Local 117 and went on strike.
That’s been the sticking point with Portland up until this point and perhaps why Uber only opened on the edges of the state’s largest city.
Uber drivers aren’t employees and they aren’t really independent cab drivers, at least not according to Portland regulations.
If someone wants to register as a taxi driver in Portland, they have to work for a company with 15 vehicles or more, according to Bryan Hockaday of transportation commissioner Steve Novick’s office.
“Right now there are rules for the taxi industry and everyone needs to abide by them,” said Hockaday.
Hockaday said Uber doesn’t qualify as a cab company because they don’t own their own vehicles.
That said, commissioner Novick is actively supporting a comprehensive review of the city’s cab regulations.
“It’s not a matter of Uber or no Uber,” said Hockaday. “It’s a matter of regulations that work for everyone.”
So, will Uber head to the City of Roses next? Only time will tell. Until then, getting a lift to Portland from the suburbs just got easier. But getting back, is another matter.
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