Georgia became the latest state to regulate ride-sharing services such as Uber and Lyft, which use smartphone apps to connect riders and drivers, under legislation signed on May 6 by Gov. Nathan Deal.
According to a report in Online Athens (Ga.), the laws, effective July 1, will protect riders as well as drivers and fill gaps in state law regarding insurance coverage and passenger safety in the for-hire industry, which includes taxis and limousines as well as "ride-hailing services." The laws also require ride-sharing companies to register with the Georgia Department of Public Safety.
In some states cab drivers and state officials have filed lawsuits against the ride-sharing companies, which have battled regulators in several states and municipalities.
Sponsors of the bills had pushed for mandatory fingerprinting of drivers to ensure that they don't have criminal records but those provisions were not included in the final legislation. Uber, Lyft and other similar companies have said they do their own background checks of drivers; however, they use firms that don't require driver fingerprints.
Georgia also requires $1 million in insurance coverage to go into effect as soon as a driver and a passenger reach an agreement using the smartphone apps.
Uber has said that it has about 5,000 drivers — called "driver-partners" by the company — in Georgia.
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