Senate Bill 984, which passed the Senate in November, was introduced by state Sen. Camera Bartolotta, R-46, Carroll Township, Washington County, in October.
So-called “transportation network companies” such as Uber and Lyft operate in parts of Pennsylvania under a temporary two-year authority from the state Public Utility Commission.
The companies use their websites and mobile apps to connect riders with drivers using their own vehicles.
Bartolotta has said the bill would expand that approval statewide and create regulatory parameters ranging from insurance and vehicle safety requirements to driver standards, as well as a “zero tolerance” for drug and alcohol use by drivers.
It would also prohibit people from driving if they have been convicted of certain crimes, such as burglary, robbery and sexual offenses.
On Wednesday, the House Consumer Affairs Committee voted 23-2 to approve the bill with amendments. The only no votes came from two Delaware County Republicans, state Reps. Nick Miccarelli and Stephen Barrar.
Committee members from southwest Pennsylvania include state Rep. Rob Matzie, D-16, Ambridge; state Rep. Pam Snyder, D-Greene County; and state Rep. Pete Daley, D-Washington County, the minority chairman.
State Rep. Gene DiGirolamo, R-Bucks County, said he was concerned with small businesses and taxi drivers who have followed the rules “for a long, long time” only to see companies such as Uber and Lyft given preferential treatment and not held to the same standard.
“My concern is the trust. Right now, I have very, very little trust in Uber and Lyft,” DiGirolamo said. “Uber and Lyft come in and it just appears that they haven’t been following any of the rules and regulations.”
But, state Rep. Eli Evankovich, R-Westmoreland County, said technology “marches on” and leaves outdated methods behind, just as MP3 players replaced compact discs which replaced cassettes and tractors replaced horse-drawn plows.
“It’s just the way that this world works,” he said.
While saying he had compassion for taxi drivers and their families, Evankovich said, “We can’t let that stand in the way of a technology that is just besting the existing system.”
Last month, the PUC fined Uber $11.3 million for operating without its approval in 2014, but state officials, including Gov. Tom Wolf, have said the fine should be reduced.
The amendment also passed 23-2 with Miccarelli and Barrar voting against it. State Rep. Robert Godshall, R-Montgomery County, the committee chairman, said the amendments tightened background and driver history checks, and vehicle standards.
Crafting the bill, Godshall said, was a “total bipartisan effort.”
Negotiations had been contentious concerning the ride-sharing firms in Philadelphia, where the Philadelphia Parking Authority has blocked them from operating.
If the bill passes the full House then it would have to go back to the Senate for concurrence on the amendment.
©2016 the Beaver County Times (Beaver, Pa.) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
