Uber Coming to Montgomery?
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It’s a simple concept and much like a modern day hitch hiker, although Uber drivers are registered through their city and the Uber company along with a background check and proof of insurance.
It’s something the City of Montgomery is looking into.
“It’s very important for us to go after tourism events and certain attractions to come to Montgomery, sporting events and other big conventions. They ask, one of the qualifications– do you have Uber service? We want to make sure we are being competitive,” said Chief of Staff Anita Archie.
But being competitive is something that Cliff Ruff of Capital City Cab is concerned about.
He’s been in business for 5 years serving Montgomery with its transportation needs. And he says he has to pay to keep his service running.
“You have to pay for commercial tags. They can go anywhere from 50 to 300 dollars. Monthly insurance for commercial vehicles run anywhere around 300 or so dollars,” said Ruff.
He feels Uber drivers are just stealing his business, and it’s not fair.
“We do get some saying they are with Uber already down here. That’s what we call ‘bootlegging cab companies’… Just ain’t right,” said Ruff.
But, according to the City, they do want to make it fair for taxi companies and drivers, all while keeping you safe.
“We want to make sure they do have insurance coverage. Definitely want to make sure that the background checks are in place for those companies. These drivers, that we know the backgrounds of the drivers, these automobiles. The same thing that we ask of taxi cab, we want to have for Uber,” said Archie.
The city council is expected to vote on the Uber ordinance within the next couple of months.
