VOLUME 45, ISSUE 43
Thursday, March 13, 2014
Name, Name
UBER vs. LYFT vs. CITY
Joey Reuteman
Police, taxis clash over ride-sharing companies as city orders services to be halted over legal issues Alex Arriaga Print City Editor Two newly-launched ridesharing companies were ordered to cease operations or face a $700 fine in a meeting Wednesday, where cab drivers and police condemned the services as illegal under current city ordinance. The Madison Transit and Parking Commission heard concerns about safety, equity and liability, as well as fair competition with the city’s well-established licensed taxi cab services. Lyft and Uber both arrived in Madison within the past two weeks and have been met with controversy because of a city ordinance that requires all public transportation go through a process that includes a background check and review from the city for operating licenses and vehicle and driver permits. Madison Police Department Capt. Carl Gloede said Lyft
and Uber operations should end until the legal issues are resolved. He said active drivers are in violation of city ordinances and can be fined $700 a piece. The mobile app makes their service easy to monitor, he said. Jason Glomp, a Union Cab driver and member of the company’s board of directors, said Uber and Lyft should not be exempt from licensing ordinances that taxi companies have to follow. “They tell people that they’re not taxi companies and therefore should not follow the same rules,” Glomp said. “However, as I understand, their business model is they contract drivers to pick up customers on demand for a fee. My question is how is that not a taxi service?” Christina Ballard, a Union Cab dispatcher, said the current ride-share operations are illegal and, if allowed to continue, would set a
precedent for future taxi services, which could escalate to a legal battle, she said. “As of today there are 715 licensed cab drivers in the City of Madison,” Ballard said. “If we allowed the 715 drivers to do what Lyft and Uber do, there would be 715 different fare structures, 715 different ways to file a complaint, 715 different ways to solve problems.” Laura Alvarez, a Lyft driver, said the common misconceptions about the company are about insurance and the employment of drivers. All Lyft drivers must have their own personal insurance and also receive additional insurance from Lyft for when they are picking up a passenger or headed to pick up a passenger, Alvarez said. A background check is done on all Lyft drivers as well as thorough car inspections,
Drivers to face $700 in fines after police captain vows to track cars with apps’ location services Kirby Wright The Badger Herald
she said. “I hear a lot of fear, I hear a lot of questioning about uncertainty,” she said. “I think with Madison’s population exploding as it is, there will be plenty opportunity for both the traditional cap paradigm and companies like Lyft and Uber to operate. They serve different communities.” Both Lyft and Uber representatives said there are $1 million insurance policies for the companies available as
backup to the driver’s personal insurance. Taxi representatives and city officials voiced concerns about discrimination that could occur and how drivers are able to refuse a ride whereas licensed taxi services do not have that option. Nick Anderson, general manager of Uber Technologies in Madison, said the argument that Uber “cherry-picks” neighborhoods when refusing rides has no basis in fact.
Ald. Scott Resnick, District 8, said there will have to be some regulatory compromise to accommodate the new ventures. “My approach here is to try to make Uber and Lyft work within the city of Madison,” Resnick said. “I will be looking to draft legislation that will hopefully be a compromise that will allow Uber and Lyft to play on the same playing field as traditional taxi cab companies.”
Senate passes voter ID, election reform Aaron Drews Digital State Editor
This is what research looks like
Joey Reuteman The Badger Herald
Twelve UW undergraduates presented their research in the state Capitol Wednesday.
The state Senate passed a series of controversial election reform bills in the last floor period of the session Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning, despite heated objections from the Democratic minority. After a vote to move the election bills to the end of the debate schedule Tuesday night, which the Republicans said would increase efficiency, Democrats criticized the majority for trying to push the bills through at the last minute. “People don’t want us to vote on this in the daylight,” Sen. Tim Carpenter, D-Milwaukee, said. “They
want us to be able to sneak these bills through so that when the press goes home or people aren’t listening, all the dirty work will be done later on.” Democrats used a procedural tactic to delay the vote until Wednesday morning. In addition to a new bill requiring individuals to show a valid photo ID when voting, the Senate also approved measures to limit the times and locations where absentee ballots are available and to expand the pool of poll workers a municipality can draw from during election time. Republicans contend such legislation is necessary to prevent instances of voter fraud and elections abuse.
During the session, they emphasized the importance of election day as a sacred event for American democracy. “Voting by absentee ballot is a privilege exercised solely outside the traditional safeguards of the polling place,” Sen. Mary Lazich, R-New Berlin said, quoting the state statutes. “The Legislature finds that the privilege of voting by absentee ballot must be carefully regulated to prevent the potential for fraud or abuse.” Democrats responded by saying instances of voter fraud are rare in the state. Sen. Lena Taylor, D-Milwaukee, said the
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ASM: Athletics must contribute more to Master Plan Rachael Lallensack Print Campus Editor Saying the Athletics Department is a part of the university, student government members voted to call on the department for increased financial support to fund the Recreational Sports $223 million Master Plan. Additionally, the Associated Students of Madison debated the new diversity plan and
reviewed changes to bring the university’s sexual assault policies in line with federal standards. UW Athletics resolution ASM and the Teaching Assistants’ Association formally called for Athletics to contact donors and designate future revenue to help fund the Rec Sports Master Plan. ASM requested the
commitment from Athletics be comparable to contributions of the chancellor, state and segregated fees, which range from $30 million to $127 million. Members said studentathletes are part of the campus community, whether through recruitment or walking on teams, and these individuals as university students contribute to a successful Athletics
program. “It’s difficult to see Athletics as a separate entity. The community the logo, the name — it cannot exist without the university,” Rep. Justin Bloesch said. ASM Chair David Gardner will write a letter requesting a greater commitment from the department to Athletic Director Barry Alvarez later this month. Campus diversity plan
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A draft of UW’s new diversity plan will be released to the public this month. Ad Hoc Diversity Plan Committee co-chairs Ruth Litovsky and Ryan Adserias presented the first draft of the diversity plan to ASM. The plan features a list of nine goals, which include improving coordination of campus diversity planning, developing and applying
scholarly expertise to issues of inclusion and diversity at UW and improving institutional access through effective recruitment of a diverse student body, faculty and staff. “We conceptualized this draft as more of a framework, not a document that will live on a shelf. If an issue involving diversity arises, it can be added to the
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