Proposed regs send Uber back to the hose-and-buggy days

Screenshot from Twitter.

Transportation network company Uber is taking to both social media and some horse-and-buggy days tactics to oppose potential City of Austin regulations on the popular ride-sharing service. See the press release from Austin's Uber franchise below, and learn more about the new "Kitchen Plan."

Austinites looking to Uber around town today will get a glimpse of what life could be like if the Austin City Council adopts Council Member Ann Kitchen’s ridesharing regulations. 

Council Member [Ann] Kitchen’s plan would regulate rideshare companies like a horse and buggy, eliminating Uber’s ability to operate in Austin. The City Council is currently studying the plan and is expected to vote on it November 16. 

Call your council member at (512)974-2000 to say NO to Kitchen’s Uber. 

“Council Member Kitchen’s plan would impose 19th Century regulations on 21st Century technology,” said Debbee Hancock, Uber Texas spokesperson. “Uber has improved mobility for half a million people in Austin, but Council Member Kitchen’s proposal would take Austin backwards and eliminate this reliable transportation option.”

How it works:

-Open the Uber app
-Select the “KITCHEN” option
-Request a horse and buggy

Important Small Print
-Trips will be a flat fare of $50.
-The City of Austin prohibits horses from operating on the streets of Austin before 6 p.m.
-Trips are limited to the service area [parts of downtown].
-In the event of rain or other inclement weather, requests will not be fulfilled.
-Since uberX launched in Austin, more than 10,000 drivers have earned $27 million and completed 2.5 million trips. A recent survey showed that 70 percent of Austin voters support Uber. Nearly 30,000 Austinites have signed a petition urging the City Council to oppose Kitchen’s plan.