Mass. House Approves Ride-Hailing Services Bill
BOSTON (AP) — The Massachusetts House has approved a bill that would regulate ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft by requiring that drivers undergo criminal background checks but not fingerprinting.
The House passed the bill on a 139-16 vote Wednesday.
The bill calls for a two-step background check, the first conducted by the companies and the second by state regulators working in a new Ride for Hire Division created within the state Department of Public Utilities.
San Francisco-based Uber and other services would have to carry a minimum $1 million of insurance coverage on each vehicle.
The bill would keep in place until at least August 2021 a ban that keeps the companies from picking up passengers at Boston's Logan International Airport to appease the taxi industry, which has struggled against the competition.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
