Uber, Lyft get glimpse of proposed county regulations

Ride-hailing companies Uber and Lyft got a preview on Tuesday on the concepts that Clark County officials are incorporating into proposed regulations.

For now, travelers who hail their rides will have to stick with cabs a bit longer since he proposed ordinance for transportation network companies won't get a public hearing and vote until Oct. 20.

That means that the ride-hailing companies won't be operating until later in the year, probably November. That's the the tentative timeline Clark County officials unveiled at a workshop on Tuesday attended by about 100 people, including drivers and others in the industry. The workshop focused on the anticipated process for getting a county business license and a permit to pick up and drop off passengers at the county-operated McCarran International Airport.

A county business license would be required to operate at the airport, which is unincorporated Clark County. The county's proposal, in conceptual form, would require an application fee of $45 for a business license, and $50 per vehicle semiannually, according to the proposal from Business License Director Jacqueline Holloway. Holloway said there's also exploration of a multi-jurisdictional license.

That would allow companies to operate within the limits of the three major cities: Las Vegas, North Las Vegas and Henderson. They'd pay a semiannual vehicle fee of $200 instead of $50.

Officials stressed the measures still face approval from commissioners. Department of Aviation Director Rosemary Vassiliadis said that as with any new endeavor, it will be important to see how the transition unfolds. Convention traffic will be closely watched since that affects the airport's operation the most.

"It's a brand new type of operation," she said. "We're going to have to watch it like we do any. We'll going to have to see the growth; we'll see the behaviors, especially from the conventioneers because those are the ones that come at the same time and leave at the same time."

The airport will use an electronic tracking system called "Gatekeeper" that identifies the vehicles as they exit and enter boundaries within the vehicle movement areas and track data such as the date and time, location, unique driver identifier and vehicle license plate number. That will be used for audits of the Department of Aviation's operation.

Companies will need to pay an initial fee of $46,545 for the Department of Aviation permit to cover the county's one-time costs for setting up the operation for transportation network companies. That includes the software for the electronic tracking system, signage, cameras and other overhead.

Companies also are required to carry commercial general liability insurance with $1 million for each occurrence and auto liability to $1 million for each accident.

Passengers are looking at a pick-up and drop-off fee of $2.45, which amounts to $4.90 a ride, under the proposal. That's based on anticipated annual costs, the county says.

The county will post the ordinance draft and take comments starting on Friday through Sept. 18. Under the timeline, the county commissioners would introduce the ordinance on Sept. 15, and make a decision on Oct. 20.

The permits would need approval from county commissioners afterward. That's projected for Nov. 3.

Contact Ben Botkin at bbotkin@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2904. Find him on Twitter: @BenBotkin1