MBTA OFFICIALS, ALREADY heartened by improvements in transportation for the handicapped by taxis and private ride-hailing companies, are entertaining a proposal from Lyft to launch late-night on-demand pick-ups that would be paid by passengers, employers, and the T. Brian Shortsleeve, the CEO and acting general manager, said the transportation network company submitted an unsolicited offer […]
Lyft
Posted inTransportation
Business unusual at the T
IT’S A MANTRA spoken so often these days it could be a bumper sticker. “The MBTA is open for business,” Brian Shortsleeve, the agency’s chief administrator and acting general manager, said in talking about unsolicited proposals for third-party vendors to operate T services. Shortsleeve thinks it’s so important for people to know “the MBTA is open […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics, State House News Service, Transportation
Baker hails Uber bill
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE GOV. CHARLIE BAKER on Friday afternoon signed into law what he described as the strongest regulatory framework in the country for app-based ride-for-hire services like Uber and Lyft. “I want to start by thanking the Legislature for pushing this one through,” Baker said after signing the bill in his office. “There […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics, Transportation
Fingerprints fail in Senate Uber bill
AFTER AN EXHAUSTIVE debate that dragged on for nearly five hours, the state Senate passed Uber-friendly regulations for the runaway ride-hailing industry but not before beating back an impassioned plea by the chamber’s only black member to require fingerprints for background checks on drivers to ensure safety of passengers. “Fingerprinting is not a form of […]
Posted inTransportation
Judge says Uber, Lyft should be treated like taxis
A FEDERAL JUDGE on Thursday ordered Boston officials to explain what regulations they plan to implement on ride-hailing companies such as Uber and Lyft to treat them like cabs until the state comes up with some action and why the court should not issue an injunction barring the companies from operating. In a lengthy ruling […]
Posted inThe Download, Transportation
Why GM is investing in Lyft
Massachusetts lawmakers can’t keep up. They’re still trying to figure out a way to regulate ride-sharing companies such as Uber and Lyft, yet the market is already moving on to the next big thing: driverless cars. General Motors announced on Monday that it is investing $500 million in Lyft and plans to partner with the […]
Posted inTransportation
Ridesharing changes benefit all
MORE THAN 30 years in law enforcement has taught me that the phrase “the only constant is change” is undeniably true. The pace of change is only accelerating and law enforcement must acknowledge the benefits and challenges that advancements in technology bring. We live in a reality where innovation can add value for both law […]
Posted inTransportation
No common ground in Uber fight
WITH A RAINBOW of partisans as a backdrop – hundreds of Uber supporters in blue, a near-equal number of taxi drivers in bright yellow, and a smattering of Lyft devotees in magenta – lawmakers at the State House on Tuesday took testimony on four disparate bills seeking to craft state rules covering the unregulated ride-hailing companies. […]
Posted inEconomy, Opinion, Transportation
On ride-sharing, Legislature must embrace innovation
MASSACHUSETTS HAS BEEN the cradle of innovation since our country’s birth. Big ideas, groundbreaking solutions and global advances in technology, medicine, government and education have been launched in our Commonwealth. In more recent years, Massachusetts has become recognized as the biggest technology industry competitor to Silicon Valley and our economy has been driven by innovation […]