Car-sharing company Uber is operating in violation of Burlington city ordinances but Mayor Miro Weinberger intends to work out a way for it to operate legally, the city attorney said Tuesday in a letter to the company.
Uber is a car-sharing service that allows regular citizens to transport passengers in their own vehicles for a fee. It is coordinated through a smartphone app.
Uber and its drivers operate vehicles for hire and are therefore subject to the city’s Vehicle for Hire ordinance, city attorney Eileen Blackwood wrote in a two-page letter to Uber official Dave Barmore.
However, Uber vehicles do not comply with the definitions of taxis, contract vehicles or limousine services and neither Uber nor its drivers have sought licenses from the city, she wrote, and therefore they are violating the law.
That means Uber’s drivers are at risk of penalties. The city ordinance says the city can impound unauthorized taxis or vehicles and fine the owner $300.
Weinberger, however, wants to work with Uber to find a way for its drivers to operate.
“Mayor Weinberger is interested in improving and increasing the transportation options available to Burlingtonians and believes Uber’s innovative services may help the city,” Blackwood wrote.
The city will therefore explore ways to change the ordinance to allow Uber to operate in Burlington, and work on an interim agreement, the letter says.
Uber representatives met with city officials on October 9 and presented sample agreements Uber has made with other communities and sample changes to vehicle for hire laws that include Uber’s business model, according to the letter.
