Uber knows cars better than PR, it seems

CARSON CITY — Whoops!

The ride-sharing service Uber may have won a legislative victory on Monday, as the state Senate passed a stalled bill that would allow it to operate in Nevada. But it looks like Uber flubbed the post-vote celebratory statement-making.

Here’s the original version of Uber’s remarks:

“Today, the Nevada State Senate, under the leadership of Senator [James] Settelmeyer, [R-Minden] took an important step forward, leading an effort to expand transportation options and support more job opportunities and safer roads throughout the state.” Steve Thompson, Uber Nevada General Manager.

Now, there’s no doubt that Settelmeyer has been a key player on the Uber issue, and has pushed for regulations for the ride-sharing service all session long. (He even advocated one version of the bill that would have allowed the company to operate without state regulation, so long as drivers had insurance coverage.)

But he didn’t do it entirely alone, as Uber was forced to acknowledge in a second, “updated” statement, sent four hours after the original. See if you can spot the difference!

“Today, the Nevada State Senate, under the bipartisan leadership of Senators Settelmeyer and [Kelvin] Atkinson, [D-Las Vegas] took an important step forward, leading an effort to expand transportation options and support more job opportunities and safer roads throughout the state.” Steve Thompson, Uber Nevada General Manager.

That’s right, Atkinson, the Democratic lawmaker who was one of only two Democrats to vote for the Uber bill last week when the rest of the Senate Democratic caucus rejected it because of concerns over cost! The guy who has also been intimately involved in the issue, too. Him!

Uber may know transportation, but politics and PR definitely requires a different skill set.