About a 100 or so supporters of ride-sharing startups like Lyft, UberX and Sidecar showed up at City Hall today to voice their frustration over Seattle’s proposed regulations that will make it more difficult for companies like Lyft to conduct business.
Lyft co-founder John Zimmer, who spoke with us Tuesday, flew up from the Bay Area to speak at today’s rally, which was organized by Peers. He spoke about the inspiration for starting Lyft, his second transportation startup after he co-founded Zimride in 2007. Zimmer also talked about the demand for ride-sharing services and how ride-sharing startups can actually help taxi companies make more money.
There was a bit of drama as Eastside For-Hire manager Samatar Guled showed up to the rally and stood next to each speaker, hoping to get some camera time as he held up a photo of the six-year-old girl who was killed by an Uber driver in San Francisco on New Year’s Eve.
“Show us your insurance!” Guled repeated.
“We have it on our website right now,” Zimmer responded.
Seattle’s proposed regulations would to cap the number of Lyft, Sidecar and UberX drivers while increasing the number of taxicabs in Seattle. Seattle’s City Council Committee for Taxi, For-hire, and Limousine Regulations will vote on the two-year pilot program Friday.
Read more about the updated ordinance here, and see photos from today’s rally below:
