MA Approves Regulations for Uber and Other Ride-Sharing Companies

Monday, January 05, 2015

On Saturday, Uber announced that Massachusetts has filed a regulatory framework that will allow Uber and other ridesharing companies to lawfully exist in the state.

According to a released statement by Uber, "These regulations are an important step in establishing clear, uniform rules for ridesharing across the entire Commonwealth, providing a framework for rider and driver safety, and offering consumer choice and opportunity. Governor Deval Patrick and his Administration, particularly MassDOT officials, have displayed tremendous leadership in this regulatory process. We are proud that they have formally recognized ridesharing as a new and innovative transportation model in Massachusetts."

The regulations will allow Massachusetts more oversight on ridesharing companies in the state. With the regulations, the Department of Public Utilities (DPU)will handle ridesharing companies, and Uber and other companies will now have to obtain and maintain liability insurance. Drivers will also need to have background checks done and adhere to a number of other minimum qualifications.

The regulations will not be official until lawmakers pass legislation naming the DPU in charge of ridesharing companies. Until then, these companies will be allowed to continue to run under a temporary notice from the DPU.

As GoLocal reported in December, the Boston City Council held a hearing on ridesharing companies. Some of the proposed regulations presented at the hearing are now part of the current regulations.

Related Slideshow: UBER vs. Taxi Experience in Worcester

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1. Ordering

Taxis:For both reporters, ordering a taxi in Worcester was a headache. Using the New Worcester Yellow Cab App, one reporter ordered a cab at 10:48AM. At 11:12AM, Cab #41 was assigned, for a total order wait time of 24 minutes. And that was only for a cab to be assigned, it does not include the time it took for the cab to arrive.

Red Cab does not have an app. It has a mobile site with a telephone number. The first call was 22 rings before the call failed. The second call was 16 rings before anyone answered.

Uber: Using the Uber app, ordering was easy. For both reporters, it took less than a minute to order.

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2. Pick-Up

Taxis: For the Worcester Yellow Cab reporter, at 11:15AM, Cab #41 drove past the reporter and parked two blocks away. Apparently realizing his mistake, the cab driver picked the reporter up at 11:19AM, on the opposite side of Shrewsbury Street (31 Minutes from the time the reporter ordered the cab).

The Red Cab took eight minutes to arrive to location.

Uber: On average, the reporters only had to wait six minutes for a Uber car to arrive. When Uber arrived, they picked the reporters up right at the curb.

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3. Cleanliness

Taxis: Both taxis had dirty mats, and their upholstery was worn out. However, both vehicles were at least ten years old.

Uber: Although clean, the inside of the Uber vehicles were both pretty worn. One Uber vehicle was a new Nissan Altima. The other Uber vehicle was an older Toyota Camry.

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4. Driving

As shown in the videos, all four rides were safe and slow. The only problem was Yellow Cab’s decision to take a longer route to Holy Cross. All drivers were friendly and talkative and they all had a good estimate of fares from point A to point B.

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5. Cost

As mentioned, each driver had a good idea of what it would cost for a ride from Shrewsbury Street to Holy Cross and back. However, the cabs were nearly twice as much as Uber. The total cost of the cabs was $28, while Uber only cost the reporters a combined $17.

In one instance, the Uber driver knew ahead of time that construction was being done on an I-290 on-ramp near Holy Cross. As the Uber driver put it, “if they weren’t doing that work, this would’ve been even cheaper.”

See video here:

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6. Service

All drivers from both Uber and local Worcester taxi companies were very professional and friendly. Upon arrival, each driver asked said "Hello," and asked the reporters how their day was going. All four drivers made sure destinations were exact and upon reaching those destinations wished the reporters a "Happy Thanksgiving."