Jackson Jambalaya

The bill creates a liability safe harbor for Uber and similar companies by making all their drivers independent contractors and requiring only $1 million in liability insurance. Sweet trade. That insurance limit is way too low. More likely than not every year one or more drivers regulated by this act the transportation company had reason to know was a danger to others will violate the rules of the road and cause a crash, generating millions of dollars in medical bills, not to mention destroyed lives. This bill shifts the burden of paying those costs from the responsible parties to the injured victims, their families and taxpayers. I'm all for business innovation, but not for giving corporations or individuals a pass when they cause preventable harm. Innovate, compete, show us how free enterprise is supposed to work, but don't ask for government immunity. Take responsibility for your drivers like other transportation companies do. And raise the insurance requirement to $5 million.

$1M for ALL drivers? It needs to be $1M for EACH driver. A life care plan on just one kid is what? 5-6M? Why should taxpayers have to pay that instead of the person or company that causes the injury? I'm already insuring, through my premiums, all the other under/uninsured drivers in Mississippi. I don't want to cover Uber's screwups, too.

So the Jackson City Council just wasted all that time for nothing

Get in an UBER ride at your own risk.

I hope it means $1M coverage per driver.

For god's sake, you guys could have just looked at page 7 and found out for yourselves that it's a million per driver.

Uber is the best! Always new clean cars and professional drivers as opposed to a beat up cab and a wacko cab driver

Always new clean cars and professional drivers ...

The drivers are professional how?

Uber is a good thing for our state & all cities that have them. Have you gotten in a taxicab lately? In addition to being poorly operated, they are high as hell! It's about time our poorly led legislature does SOMETHING right!

7:40

The driver's seat-back is in the upright position... not in the reclining mode.

Finally, Mississippi's seeing some actual, REAL progress.

The $1 million coverage is only during a "ride." If the Uber driver is jockeying for position outside of a club and hits someone, the smaller coverage applies.


This bill leaves any Mississippi small businessman in the dust. A guy with a van wanting to start a shuttle service will still have to contend with the likes of the local taxi boards or go through the TNC to get fares. This is a carve out for Silicon Valley.

I did understand it was $1 million per driver--that's just grossly inadequate. It should be at least $5 million per driver, per person, per accident. Three passengers, five in the vehicles he crashes into--One negligent Uber driver could easily cause $10 million in mayhem, $9 million of which will have to borne by the victims families and taxpayers as this bill essentially gives Uber and similar companies immunity.

Supplanting municipalities and consolidating power seems to be a theme of this legislature.

7:29 - What are the insurance requirements for taxis?

$1m per driver is plenty. What do the regular taxis have to have? Most people driving around MS have minimum limits (if anything at all) - $25k.

Mr. 6:15:

Get in a New Jack City cab at your own risk!

Uber is in the news today.

Kalamazoo killer Jason Dalton was an Uber driver who took passengers for a terrifying ride during spree

Kalamazoo police claim the 45-year-old man who went on a shooting spree Saturday night, killing six, was an Uber driver who dropped off passengers between shootings.

According to WOOD-TV, authorities are investigating reports that the suspected gunman, Jason Dalton, dropped off a group of people at a Fairfield Inn before going next door to the Cracker Barrel and opening fire on two vehicles, killing four people.

Good thing for Uber this guy wasn't an employee of theirs. Otherwise this committing murders while on the clock, they might have had some liability to the survivors.

But hey, on time, clean vehicle and all that

Supplanting municipalities and consolidating power seems to be a theme of this legislature.

Did you complain when the legislature nixed red-light cameras?

Nationally Uber churns through drivers. Once the drivers do the math the pay is not lucrative. As Uber struggles to replace drivers it is inevitable that they'll find, after the fact, some miscreants in their driver pool.

Why make them register every year? For what purpose and at what cost and that money goes into whose piggy bank? Government will always figure out ways to regulate, control, tax and dominate.

11:54

Compare that to % of Postal workers-

Uber pay rates are changing...Lyft pays better and Uber will have to follow suit as Lyft grows in popularity.

Competition meet competition.

Yeah. Uber just cut their prices. Many drivers are pretty mad about it and say they can't make any money except for surge prices. But then, the free market can sort it out, not cartels that are sanctioned by the government.

5,000.00$ per year per driver fee? Who get that money?

It is $1 million per driver.

@1;38; Thanks Delbert or Delbert's main hired gun, J. Greg.

5:01 -- quite possibly about 1:38, but probably not. Delbert is nothing but for more regulation, more government and more fees. He would be upset if there is going to be a new fee and it doesn't go through his bank since he is the most important individual (if not office) of them all.