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Ride Sharing

Geneva Ruppert - Communications Associate Michael Van Beek - Director of Research

Ridesharing is a new service made popular by companies like Lyft and Uber. It relies on smartphones to connect those who need a ride to drivers willing to provide one — a riff on the traditional taxi system. Ridesharing has allowed thousands of Michiganders earn extra income as drivers and save money and time as riders. Michigan passed a package of bills which established a level playing field of regulations for ridesharing and other transportation companies.

Read more about that here.

Drivers

John secretly always wanted to drive a cab, but he ended up with a law degree instead. Now that he’s moving toward retirement, he decided to revisit an old dream. He loves driving around MSU, where he says there is a different kind of demand for ridesharing.

Rebecca began driving for Uber to provide some income stability while she followed her passion for antiquing. She recently opened her own store. She thinks it’s important for people to know how safe ridesharing is, and how it increases safety in cities by providing an easy alternative to driving drunk.

Babacar grew up in Senegal before immigrating to and earning citizenship from the United States. He supports his family by driving for Uber, and says his work for the service put him more in touch with his city.

Tim started driving for Lyft and Uber as a way to make some extra money during the holidays. Soon, it made him enough to leave his job as a restaurant manager and start his own business, Ryde Media, which sets up advertising in ridesharing vehicles.

Kevin had fallen behind on mortgage payments when he decided to give ridesharing a try. These days, the extra income he earns working part-time for Uber has taken his family of six from nearly losing their house to remodeling their kitchen.

Larry is a retired auto worker with a high school diploma. His favorite thing about ridesharing is the flexibility of working freelance, something he feels has never been accessible to people without a degree in the past.

Latest Developments

UPDATE: The Michigan Legislature has passed a package of bills which frees up ridesharing companies and other local transportation companies to operate. You can read more about that here.

Drivers

Ann Arbor Crackdown Illustrates Need for Statewide Ridesharing Framework

Uber and Lyft have provided excellent transportation alternatives to countless …

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Statewide Ridesharing Regulations

A limousine company based out of Dearborn Heights is suing Uber for failing to abide by Michigan’s 25-year-old Limousine Transportation Act. At first glance, the lawsuit seems like an …

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Economists Agree: Ride-Sharing Benefits Consumers

A Michigan House Committee just approved House Bill 5951 introduced by Rep. Tim Kelly, R-Saginaw Township, which would create a statewide regulatory framework for …

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Regulatory Regime Tries to Put the Brakes on Competition

Have you ever given a friend, co-worker or babysitter a ride in your car? You could be a criminal. Car service apps such as Uber …

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One Step Toward ‘Reinventing’ Michigan

Over the past four years, there’s been a lot of talk about “reinventing” Michigan. Gov. Rick Snyder and this Legislature have made significant strides toward that goal by improving the state’s tax …

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How Not to Regulate the Innovation Sector

Imagine a couple new startups begin offering a brand new service in Michigan. These companies innovatively use new technologies to meet consumers’ needs in real-time and transform …

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Michigan Bill Could Give Ride-Sharing an Uber Lift

State Rep. Tim Kelly, R-Saginaw, introduced legislation that would create state-based regulations for ride-sharing services such as Uber and Lyft. At first glance, the regulations appear …

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Regulations Gone Awry: The War Over Uber

Government regulations are meant to serve the public interest primarily by protecting consumers and fostering fair competition. But sometimes regulatory power can be used to harm the …

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