Are Rideshare Services Like Uber Legal?
When one thinks of city travel, taxis and new ride-sharing apps like Uber and Lyft often come to mind. We use them to get just about anywhere in the city. But are these rideshare businesses...
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Ride-sharing apps like Uber and Lyft are now operating in cities all over the world, but they don't appear to follow any of the normal rules for taxis or car services. In fact, they don't even have to register as a car service. So, what's going on? Are Uber and Lyft even legal? Technically, Yes. They are legal. Primarily, because they're not really car services, they're social networking services. All they do is connect people who want rides with people who offer rides. I'm sure they'd hate this analogy, but think of them as a huge phone book with all of the possible drivers listed by proximity to you. Like with the phone book, it's on the people looking for rides to choose which drivers they want, and it's up to the driver...
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Ride-sharing apps like Uber and Lyft are now operating in cities all over the world, but they don't appear to follow any of the normal rules for taxis or car services. In fact, they don't even have to register as a car service. So, what's going on? Are Uber and Lyft even legal? Technically, Yes. They are legal. Primarily, because they're not really car services, they're social networking services. All they do is connect people who want rides with people who offer rides. I'm sure they'd hate this analogy, but think of them as a huge phone book with all of the possible drivers listed by proximity to you. Like with the phone book, it's on the people looking for rides to choose which drivers they want, and it's up to the driver...
