Local jurisdictions are rapidly enacting licensing requirements for ridesharing companies such as Uber and Lyft.
These so-called “transportation networking companies” or TNCs operate through a social media application that connects passengers and drivers.
Recently the Las Vegas City Council voted to require a semi-annual business licensing fee for active drivers operating within the city over a 6-month period.1 In April of 2015, Uber arrived in Portland, Oregon to a last-minute amendment by the City Commissioner requiring Uber drivers to also obtain a business license through the city before they could actually operate. One reason for these new regulations was to enable more effective tracking of Uber drivers.2 Uber has also been making headlines recently in various local jurisdictions across Alabama. Although lacking a fee, Birmingham, Alabama began requiring business licenses of Uber drivers in December of 2015.3 In Tuscaloosa, Alabama Uber drivers were issued city citations for operating the vehicle without a business license. In Baldwin County, Alabama Uber received a cease and desist letter by the county subsequent to discoveries that drivers were operating in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach illegally.