In a victory for app-based car hailing services like Uber, the Taxi and Limousine Commission unanimously approved a proposal that will allow companies to update their apps without approval from the TLC, the Associated Press reports. The initial proposal was to require submission to and approval from the TLC before any software update could be made available to the public, which would be a slow and unnecessarily bureaucratic process. Now the companies will simply have to inform the TLC of any changes rather than wait for approval.
“We re-stylized the rules so they’re tech agnostic because our point is not to go after one particular technology — things change quicker than we do — it’s to provide baseline consumer protection and driver safety requirements,” said TLC commissioner Meera Joshi.
This is a smart decision on the TLC’s part. While app-based hailing services should be regulated, it’s their business practices that need watching, not their software.
(Photo: Ian Forrester)
