Uber, Lyft suspend service in Austin over fingerprint rule

AUSTIN, Texas — Uber and Lyft on Monday suspended their ride-hailing services in Austin after voters decided against overturning city requirements that include fingerprinting their drivers. But following Saturday’s vote, a lawmaker who is a rideshare supporter said that when the Texas Legislature reconvenes next year it will consider establishing statewide regulations for rideshare companies that will aim to be “consistent and predictable.” “It has become increasingly clear that Texas’ ridesharing companies can no longer operate effectively through a patchwork of inconsistent and anti-competitive regulations,” Republican Sen. Charles Schwertner of Georgetown told the Houston Chronicle on Sunday. “As a state with a long tradition of supporting the free market, Texas should not accept transparent, union-driven efforts to create new barriers to entry for the sole purpose of stifling innovation and eliminating competition.” The Austin American-Statesman reported nearly 56 percent of voters rejected a proposition Saturday that would have repealed rules the Austin City Council approved in December. The city’s ordinance also prohibits drivers from stopping in traffic lanes for passenger drop-offs and pickups, requires “trade dress” to identify vehicles for hire and imposes a variety of data reporting requirements. "#txlege needs to intervene.” GOP state Rep. Tony Dale of Cedar Park tweeted a photo of a request for an Uber car to come to the Texas Capitol and a simple message: “See you in 2017.” ___ Information from: Austin American-Statesman, http://www.statesman.com