Maine airports seek greater regulation of Uber, Lyft
Maine’s largest airports are backing proposed emergency legislation allowing municipalities to regulate transportation companies like Uber and Lyft at local airports.
The bill, LD 1010, goes to a public hearing before the Committee on Transportation on Friday, 9 a.m., in State House Room 126.
The Portland Press Herald reported that under current state law, municipal governments can’t impose rules on transportation network companies. With the rise of ride-sharing options such as Uber and Lyft, Portland Jetport Director Paul Bradbury told the newspaper it is creating congestion and safety problems that are making it difficult for the jetport to manage its ground transportation area.
“When you have a commercial operator you can’t regulate and put in a certain location, it is hard to effectively manage an operation,” Bradbury told the newspaper. “At best, it is just congestion; at worst, you can have safety problems when you have that many people bidding for limited real estate,” Bradbury said.
The newspaper also reported that taxi drivers, hotel shuttles and rental car services must pay fees and meet specific regulations at the airport, which ride-sharing drivers don’t face under existing regulations.
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