It’s official. Rideshare has returned to San Antonio.
“Today Uber is excited to announce that we are returning to the streets of San Antonio, effective immediately,” stated Uber Spokesperson Debbee Hancock in an email Tuesday afternoon. “Thousands of drivers will be able to earn money in their own neighborhoods again. And tens of thousands of riders will have a safe alternative to drinking and driving with just the tap of a button. We are grateful for Mayor Taylor’s leadership and efforts to bring back Uber San Antonio.”
Uber has beaten its biggest competitor, Lyft, to the proverbial punch. City Council approved a nine-month operating agreement for a rideshare pilot program in August that requires ride-booking application companies to provide drivers with the option of taking a fingerprint background check and identifying this additional certification to riders. From there, the passenger can choose whether to cancel the ride and wait to find a driver that has taken the additional steps. The agreement does not technically require an update of their platforms or rider profile formats in order to achieve this notification. Uber has simply added a space next driver names to indicate that they’ve taken an additional City background check. Lyft representatives have said that they are working on how to make the background check notification option available to drivers.
The agreement does not require rideshare companies to advertise/bring any attention to the drivers’ status.
The responsibility to make riders and drivers aware of the feature lies on the City’s shoulders. And so it has already begun to launch its awareness campaign:
In Uber’s app, a seemingly arbitrary number appears beneath the driver’s headshot only if they’ve taken a fingerprint background check through the San Antonio Police Department. There is no in-app explanation of what that number means, but it’s a verification number assigned to each driver that has been fingerprinted.
“We look forward to evaluating the effectiveness of the pilot program and hope the newly hired rideshare drivers will agree to undergo the 10-print background check process,” stated Councilmember Mike Gallagher in a news release. “This will provide San Antonio residents greater peace of mind when choosing their transportation options.”
All drivers are required to go through Lyft and Uber’s third-party background check before picking up fares, which includes local and state databases.
Lyft has agreed to the terms but has not announced a start date for a San Antonio comeback.
Uber company representatives signed the exact same agreement with the City that Lyft has, said Deputy City Manager Erik Walsh.
“Uber’s re-launch in San Antonio sends a loud signal that this city is open for business,” stated Brad Parscale, co-founder of Tech Bloc and president of Giles-Parscale. “Uber is more than a convenient and affordable ride, it increases exploration of the city, reduces DWIs, and will help us attract top talent looking to move to a livable urban city. This is a small step that makes a large impact in our community.”
Parscale took the inaugural ride Tuesday as “Rider Zero,” according to Uber’s website.
Uber and Lyft closed up shop within City limits on April 1 despite revisions in the transportation network company (TNC) ordinance that relaxed some of the tougher provisions passed late last year. Lyft left the area completely while Uber drivers have since been legally picking up passengers only in suburban cities, such as Windcrest, Alamo Heights, Olmos Park and Hollywood Park. Until now.
The City debate on how to regulate rideshare companies, or TNCs, went on for months in the Council’s Public Safety Committee, executive sessions, citizens to be heard, and in Council chambers last year and then again early this year. Uber and Lyft representatives said in March that the insurance and background check requirements of the current ordinance remained too onerous. The taxi and limo industry praised the regulations, which contained fewer hoops for TNC drivers than taxi drivers – yet failed to stop rideshare companies from leaving town.
Councilmember Ron Nirenberg (D8) said in a statement that it’s time for San Antonio to revise Chapter 33 of the Municipal Code, the City’s vehicle-for-hire rules.
“We have to remove regulatory burdens for the entire industry and make San Antonio streets safe for commuters and truly competitive for business,” Nirenberg stated. “We still have much work to do to ensure our laws reflect a San Antonio that is ready for an evolving transportation landscape. Lack of transportation options causes congestion, costs jobs and makes San Antonio roads more dangerous.”
CORRECTION: A previous version of this article implied that the operating agreement required a technologic upgrade. The agreement does not go that far, merely stating: “A TNC shall provide its TNC operators the option to identify whether the TNC operator (1) has voluntarily undergone and passed a criminal background check as approved by the city; and (2) is a military veteran or active member of the military…” Download the agreement here.
Related Stories:
City Council Approves Rideshare Agreement, Lyft Coming Back
SA CEOs: Now is the Time to Bring Back Rideshare
YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
John G. Ruiz some of our guests will love this. They ask about it all the time!
breaking news: San Antonio re-enters 21st century
thank FUCK
Roxann Solitaire, just in time for Beer Fest
lol
I love the service, and I’m glad they figured out a compromise on the fingerprint issue. I just wish they could hammer out an effective insurance situation with their drivers, most of whom are not actually insured for the service they’re providing. Unless something drastic has changed, Uber still suggests that its drivers tell their insurance companies that they’re using their vehicle for personal, rather than commercial, reasons. Effectively, this is insurance fraud, as most insurance providers really do want to know whether their drivers are doing rideshare, and most will cancel policies if they find out their drivers are working for Uber or Lyft without buying either: 1) commercial insurance; or 2) one of the few “hybrid” policies that do actually allow drivers to do rideshare above the table. (I think USAA is experimenting with hybrid policies.) I still use Uber and Lyft, but it’s a shame that the companies are putting their drivers–and even their customers–in a potentially risky situation without acknowledging it. But, cabs are such a non-functional option in this city that I’m willing to patronize TNCs no matter how uncomfortable I feel doing so.
Use Lyft instead.
As a driver, Lyft treats us much better. As a rider Lyft has a more thorough onboarding process for the drivers resulting in a better experience. As San Antonio, we don’t have it yet, despite them getting the green light 2 months ago.
Volunteer crime background checks for Uber and Lyft drivers is not safe for out citizens and visitors. Who at city hall going to take responsibility when one of our citizens or visitors get sexual assaulted? Uber has a history of refusing law enforcement criminal background checks.
Google Uber Crimes an you be the judge!
Do you live in fear on all other matters? Or is it the fear of new tech?
Do you fear one day a drunk driver ( who should be in cab or rideshare) will collide into you?
I got my App on my phone. You all should download yours. It’s easy.
The return of Uber / rideshare is more than having options for the public. It tells an entire tech industry that innovation CAN occur in San Antonio.
Just tried it 7 times NONE of the drivers had the finger print icon. What a surprise. Please do some follow up to this Iris
I do not see how this is considered innovation plain and simple it is a taxi service and they should have too follow same rules and regulations as taxi drivers uber continues to think they are above the law