JEFFERSON, LA – There are now rules in place for Uber, Lyft and other ride-hailing services to legally operate in Jefferson Parish.
The New Orleans Advocate’s Chad Calder and Ramon Antonio Vargas report the new regulations are similar to the rules the companies now follow in Gretna and New Orleans, and that the Jefferson Parish Council also issued new requirements for the parish’s taxicab companies in an effort to level the playing field for all.
Calder and Vargas report the ordinance that passed unanimously Wednesday, after a 2 ½ hour hearing, was authored by Councilwoman Jennifer Van Vrancken and calls for:
• All drivers to get a nationwide criminal background check
• All drivers to get random drug tests every three months
• Uber and Lyft to pay the parish a $10,000 annual fee, or a $250-per-vehicle fee that cab companies pay
• Standards for vehicle registration
• Guidelines for drivers to publicly identify their cars as ride-hailing providers
Calder and Vargas report reps with Parish President Mike Yenni's administration said enforcement of the new laws will start at the beginning of 2017.
