Tag Archives: fingerprints

Funding for child DNA ID kits quietly dropped

Posted on June 21, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

This is such a weird story. For months, Texas lawmakers were on track to spend millions of taxpayer dollars to continue distributing child identification kits to Texas schoolchildren, a program championed by state officials. In April, both the Texas House and Senate approved preliminary … Continue reading →

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Reading and writing and DNA kits…

Posted on October 23, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I dunno, man. I just don’t know. Texas public school systems are set to distribute DNA and fingerprint identification kits for K-8 students to parents who wish to participate. The state Legislature passed a law in spring 2021 requiring the … Continue reading →

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House passes statewide rideshare bill

Posted on April 21, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Made it farther than it did last session. After a lengthy debate among lawmakers over the best way to regulate services like Uber and Lyft, the Texas House backed a proposal that would override local regulations concerning ride-hailing companies. House … Continue reading →

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Uber wants back in Austin

Posted on November 21, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

It’s how they get back that’s the question. The ride-hailing company Uber may return to the state’s capital despite leaving Austin in May after a bruising fight with the city over regulation of the industry, according to Trevor Theunissen, the … Continue reading →

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Rideshare companies in Austin are complying with its fingerprint requirements

Posted on August 31, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Well, what do you know? All eight of the ride-hailing companies operating in Austin met a city requirement to have at least half of the rides they provided in July come from drivers who passed fingerprint-based background checks, according to … Continue reading →

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Driverless Ubers

Posted on August 25, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Ready or not, here they come. The option to hail a ride in a self-driving car, which was science fiction just a few years ago, will soon be available to Uber users in Pittsburgh, the first time the technology has … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

El Paso revises its rideshare rules

Posted on August 13, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Uber gets its preferred regimen. The El Paso City Council approved an ordinance designed to ease regulations and fees on taxis and ride-sharing companies like Uber. Amendments to the Transportation for Hire Ordinance, which Council approved unanimously on Tuesday, requires … Continue reading →

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Fort Worth adopts minimalist rideshare regulations

Posted on July 5, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

This ought to be interesting. Months of work redrafting the city’s vehicle-for-hire ordinance wrapped up Tuesday night when the Fort Worth Council approved new rules that require transportation companies only to register with the city. The approach chosen by Fort … Continue reading →

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Rep. Isaac asks FTC to step in on Austin rideshare regulations

Posted on June 22, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Seriously? State Rep. Jason Isaac has asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate Austin’s rules for ride-hailing companies, raising concerns that the city’s “burdensome regulations” are anti-competitive. In the letter dated June 7, Isaac said he thought the city “erected … Continue reading →

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PocketCab

Posted on June 19, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Austin isn’t the only city with rideshare innovation happening. Sugar Land-based PocketCab LLC plans to fill the potential void with a new dispatch app for taxi and limousine companies if Uber does decide to leave the Houston market. PocketCab works … Continue reading →

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What’s the roadmap for ridesharing regulations look like?

Posted on June 18, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

This is going to be a challenge, no matter how you feel about it. Several state legislators have made it clear they’re eager to take control of rules for ride-hailing companies in Texas, shifting power from individual cities to the … Continue reading →

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First rideshare legislative hearing

Posted on June 9, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

There will be a lot more where this came from. Representatives from Uber and Lyft urged lawmakers to adopt statewide regulations for the ride-hailing industry during a Texas Capitol hearing on Wednesday, citing what they called burdensome local ordinances that … Continue reading →

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What do we really want from rideshare regulations?

Posted on June 7, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

From Medium: To help ensure people have a fair chance at earning a living, Uber’s screening process embraces protections codified in the Fair Credit Reporting Act and other similar laws, ensuring lookback periods are reasonable and arrests without convictions or … Continue reading →

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RideAustin

Posted on May 26, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Another new player gets set to enter the Austin rideshare market. Adding to the growing number of ride-hailing options in Austin since Uber and Lyft’s wholesale evacuation, a new nonprofit, community-based app called RideAustin was introduced today at the Alamo … Continue reading →

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San Antonio to re-revisit its rideshare requirements

Posted on May 21, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Just when you thought it was all over… With Transportation Network Company (TNC) tension looming from Austin and Houston, the City of San Antonio is preparing its push to renegotiate with ride-hailing companies such as Uber and Lyft. And one … Continue reading →

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Abbott comments on Austin rideshare referendum

Posted on May 18, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Sort of. Gov. Greg Abbott said Monday the fight is not finished when it comes to regulations in Austin that have driven ride-hailing companies out of the state capital. “The issue’s not over,” Abbott said in an interview on CNBC. … Continue reading →

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Lawsuit filed over Uber/Lyft referendum language

Posted on May 17, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Oh, for crying out loud. Attorney Martin Harry filed a lawsuit — a draft of it was obtained by the American-Statesman — in Travis County state district court late Tuesday contesting the election’s outcome, alleging that the city violated election … Continue reading →

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Yeah, we’re still talking about the Austin rideshare referendum

Posted on May 11, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

The tech community was as divided as everyone else. Joshua Baer, founder of Capital Factory, the downtown technology incubator, has been a critic of the proposed regulations. He said he believes the vote sent signals that Austin is hostile to … Continue reading →

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Uber and Lyft do what they said they would

Posted on May 10, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

They’ve cut and run. Uber and Lyft made good on their threat to end Austin service Monday, pulling out two days after voters rejected their $9.1 million bid to overturn the city’s rules for ride-hailing companies. Their departure came despite … Continue reading →

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More on the Austin rideshare referendum

Posted on May 9, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

The fallout continues to fall. Austin voters on Saturday decisively rejected Uber and Lyft’s $8.6 million bid to overturn the city’s rules for ride-hailing apps, bringing a stunning conclusion to the most expensive campaign in city history. The failure of … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2016, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Austin rideshare referendum goes down

Posted on May 8, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Boom. Preliminary election day results in Austin show 56 percent of voters against Proposition 1, a ride-hailing ordinance supported by Uber and Lyft. With 76.76 percent reporting, 13,957 have voted against the ordinance and 10,901 have voted for. These numbers … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2016 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

What Council members think about the Uber threat

Posted on May 7, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

I was scrolling through Facebook and came upon this post from CM Michael Kubosh: Mayor Turner wants UBER to stay, but they must follow the city’s ordinance that requires a CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECK and FINGERPRINTS. Council Member Michael Kubosh said … Continue reading →

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Austin Uber referendum update

Posted on May 4, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

There’s still a crapload of money being spent by Uber and Lyft to win this thing. In the last month, Ridesharing Works for Austin – the PAC established by transportation network companies Uber and Lyft – raised $4.9 million and … Continue reading →

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GetMe waits in the wings

Posted on April 30, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

No matter what happens with the rideshare repeal referendum in Austin, there will be at least one vehicle for hire company in the capital city. Early voting is underway in Austin on Proposition 1, where residents will decide which regulations … Continue reading →

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More on the Uber ultimatum

Posted on April 29, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Initial reaction is not terribly receptive. Ride-hailing giant Uber threatened Wednesday to stop operating in Houston unless city leaders amend local regulations the company said are making it tough for them to recruit drivers. The ultimatum, the latest skirmish in … Continue reading →

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Uber says it will leave Houston if it does not change its fingerprinting requirement

Posted on April 28, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

I called it. Uber announced Wednesday that the company plans to cease operations in Houston if the city council does not repeal its existing regulations relating to vehicle-for-hire companies. Houston is one of two cities in the country where Uber … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Against Prop 1

Posted on April 27, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

The Statesman urges a vote against the divisive referendum to repeal Austin’s ordinance regulating transit network companies like Uber and Lyft. Voting against Prop. 1 is the best way to ensure that Lyft, Uber and other ride-hailing service drivers, undergo … Continue reading →

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An outside view on Uber in Houston

Posted on April 22, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

The Statesman looks at how Austin’s fight with Uber and Lyft over fingerprint requirements compares with other cities in Texas, including Houston. Officials in Houston said they decided early on that their city, despite having almost 2,500 licensed taxis, could … Continue reading →

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Get Me goes to Galveston

Posted on April 19, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Swooping in to fill the gap left by Uber’s departure. Galveston is close to getting app-based transportation back. Get Me, a Dallas-based company that started serving Houston in October, has submitted an application with Galveston to provide ride services on … Continue reading →

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Lots of money being spent on the Austin Uber/Lyft ordinance referendum

Posted on April 13, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Wow. David Butts, meet Goliath. Campaign finance reports filed Thursday for Austin’s ride-hailing services election show a beyond-massive lead in money for Ridesharing Works for Austin, the Uber- and Lyft-backed political action committee supporting a proposed ordinance that would become … Continue reading →

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Uber settles California fingerprints lawsuit

Posted on April 11, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Noted for the record. Ride-hailing company Uber will pay at least $10 million to settle allegations by California prosecutors that it misled passengers about the quality of its driver background checks. The settlement was signed Thursday in San Francisco, where … Continue reading →

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Lubbock to consider rideshare ordinance

Posted on March 30, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

You know what that means. Uber drivers may soon be required to have background checks and operational permits in the city of Lubbock, a move that in the past has prompted the company to pull out of some Texas cities. … Continue reading →

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Supreme Court declines to intervene in Austin Uber referendum

Posted on March 15, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Who knew they could do that? The Texas Supreme Court on Monday declined to order the Austin City Council to rewrite the ballot language on the proposed ride-hailing ordinance that will go before voters May 7. Austin music manager Samantha … Continue reading →

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Uber to abandon Corpus Christi

Posted on March 14, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Another one bites the dust. In what has become a familiar move for Uber, the vehicle-for-hire company announced Wednesday it will cease operations in Corpus Christi, pointing to “unnecessary” regulations recently adopted by the city. Corpus Christi’s City Council approved … Continue reading →

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