Ride-Hailing Law Signed; Garden State Is 36th in Nation

TRENTON – According to a statement from his office, Gov. Chris Christie signed into law Feb. 10 a measure that, for the first time, establishes statewide regulations for ride-hailing companies like Uber and Lyft. 
The law sets standards for insurance coverage, permitting and criminal background checks for the companies and their drivers. “This legislation makes it easier for this innovative business model to conduct business in our state, creating earning opportunities for our residents and providing transportation services that are already in high demand,” Christie stated.
During the Feb. 14 City Council meeting of Sea Isle City, Council President William Kehner noted: “We now have the legal mechanism to work with Uber and the other ride-sharing companies to help us manage their operations.”
Sea Isle City, given its nightlife, has had many requests from both residents and tourists to allow ride-hailing companies to operate but did not have a municipal ordinance in place to do so and was awaiting potential state action.
City Solicitor Paul Baldini added “All such ride-sharing companies will need to show appropriate insurance and all fees paid will go to the state, not the municipality. Regarding background checks, we need to wait and see what the Attorney General decides, whether it will be company-provided or whether the state will conduct its own.”
Uber said in a statement “Ride-hailing companies have been operating in New Jersey for years, and Uber has logged millions of rides and signed up more than 13,000 drivers since launching in the state in 2013, but until now, state regulations have lagged.
“New Jersey is the 36th state to enact a statewide ride-sharing law.”
For years, local officials such as in Sea Isle City faced pressure from the taxi industry and other groups to introduce regulations of their own, resulting in a patchwork of inconsistently enforced regulations.
The new law requires every ride to be covered by at least $1.5 million in commercial insurance and will take effect May 1.
Lyft issued a statement “When Lyft began offering ride-sharing services in New Jersey three years ago, we not only wanted to improve transportation around the Garden State, we also wanted to empower New Jerseyans to improve their lives through economic opportunity. We thank Gov. Christie and the state Legislature for their leadership in ensuring people in every corner of New Jersey will continue to have access to all that ridesharing has to offer.”
Lyft also announced that it has officially launched at Newark International Airport which “means that EWR travelers can now use Lyft to get to and from the airport.”
Kirk Safford, Lyft’s senior manager of airports, stated “Expanding access to safe, reliable and affordable transportation options at the airport can only benefit consumers. We would like to thank the staff of the Port Authority of NY-NJ for their collaborative effort on this agreement which expands transportation options for the millions of JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark Airports passengers.”
Sea Isle City Business Administrator George Savastano said, “The city is pleased that the state has passed legislation that will regulate the ride-sharing industry. Our primary concern in this regard has always been to assure that such services are required to comply with safety and service standards, similar to those already in place for taxis and limousines.”
To contact Camille Sailer, email csailer@cmcherald.com.