About WDFloyd

Dave Floyd is an attorney, real estate broker, and trivia host in Austin, Texas. He works with the Foskitt Law Office and is an owner of Floyd Real Estate. He was a candidate for Austin City Council in 2014 and lives in the Zilker Neighborhood.

Thursday, December 10, 2015

Austin Polled on Proposed Uber and Lyft Regs

Two competing polls have determined that in one case 70% of Austinites want the city to require enhanced regulations for Uber and Lyft while in the other case 70% don't want any changed.  Not surprisingly, the wording of the question has a lot to do with results.

I started using Uber in August and Lyft in November.  Both services have repeatedly given me prompt, friendly, and competitively priced service.  Personally, I have always felt safe in Uber and Lyft cars as both the driver's and my whereabouts were being tracked in real time by the ride service app, and because both Uber and Lyft already conduct background checks on their drivers.  

My biggest problem with cabs in the past has been lack of availability.  Considering that Austin has currently issued 750 cab medallions, it should be no surprise that cab service can be quite scare during peak times.  If the city is going to enact regulations that make Uber and Lyft unable to operate here, then something needs to be done in order to provide on demand ride options.   The demand exists, and being able to provide more rides helps to keep addition cars off the road as well as to help reduce drinking and driving.

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