AUSTIN, TX – This morning, the Austin City Clerk certified the petition submitted on January 19th, 2016 by Ridesharing Works for Austin. The petition gives the council 10 days to either adopt a new ordinance reversing onerous new ridesharing requirements or put the proposal on the ballot for the next available election on May 7th, 2016. Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Center for Local Governance Director James Quintero issued the following statement on the validation of the petition:
“Uber and Lyft are uniquely challenged by big city governments because of entrenched special interest groups that are trying to suffocate their competition under reams of red tape. Fortunately, innovation and progress almost always win out in the end—a point that’s being borne out in Austin as we speak.”
For more information or to request an interview with Mr. Quintero, please contact Caroline Espinosa at [email protected] or 512-472-2700.
James Quintero is Director of the Center for Local Governance at the Texas Public Policy Foundation.
The Texas Public Policy Foundation is a non-profit, free-market research institute based in Austin, Texas.