At this week’s Boston Metropolis Council assembly, Councilor Ed Flynn filed an order for a listening to to debate the regulation on Transportation Community Corporations (TNCs) by the Metropolis of Boston and the Boston Police Division (BPD), following an alleged sexual assault on a younger girl in a rideshare final week in South Boston. Though TNCs are at the moment regulated on the state degree underneath the MA Division of Public Utilities, Councilor Flynn known as for the Metropolis of Boston and Boston Police Division to supply oversight on the municipal degree, together with a private registration and payment to function, fingerprinting, and an intensive background verify. Discussions on prohibiting out-of-state operators is warranted, in addition to TNCs being positioned underneath the purview of Boston Police – just like taxis with the Boston Police Hackney Carriage Unit.
Furthermore, Councilor Flynn additionally filed a information request (17F) for the Metropolis Council assembly to hunt information from the town on TNC drivers arrested by Boston Police since 2014, drivers re-arrested since 2014, the variety of out-of-state operators, and what number of had been arrested by different police jurisdictions. As well as, Councilor Flynn wrote to Mayor Wu and Commissioner Cox requesting this elevated oversight on rideshares. Councilor Flynn beforehand known as for and held a listening to on TNCs like Uber and Lyft in 2019 because of considerations on public and pedestrian security, in addition to the affect on congestion with Boston constantly rated among the many worst cities for visitors within the nation.
Presently, whereas Massachusetts requires a two-step background verify for individuals who wish to drive for a rideshare firm, there isn’t a requirement for rideshare drivers to bear fingerprinting or to register with the Metropolis of Boston. In New York Metropolis, rideshare drivers are required by the Metropolis and the Taxi and Limousine Fee (TLC) to submit their fingerprints along with background checks. The Boston Police Division consists of the Hackney Carriage Unit, which oversees taxi cabs within the metropolis, and supplies a precedent for BPD to play a bigger position in regulating public questions of safety concerning rideshares.
In response to information from Mass.gov, in 2019, TNCs supplied 91.1 million rides in Massachusetts, of which 45.3 million rides originated in Boston (124,110 per day). Whereas the business was negatively impacted through the pandemic, rideshares are again on the rise. In 2021, 18.3 million rides originated from Boston (50,137 per day), with 13 million rides being native journeys. On visitors congestion, a 2018 report from the Metropolitan Space Planning Council estimated that 59% of all ridesharing journeys are including further automobiles on our area’s streets.
It’s worthwhile to debate prohibiting out-of-state operators from ridesharing within the Metropolis of Boston because of their adverse affect on our current visitors disaster, constantly rated among the many worst within the nation, and posing further pedestrian security challenges. The shortage of designated TNC choose up and drop off areas, or adherence to them, usually ends in automobiles pulling over in the midst of the road, heightening the security dangers for all on our roads because of blocked journey lanes. TNC drivers are sometimes unfamiliar with the neighborhoods of Boston, and residents usually report rushing on our streets.
“Given the intense and continued public security incidents over time involving TNCs, in addition to the sheer quantity that function in Boston, there must be Metropolis of Boston and Boston Police oversight for rideshares – with a private registration, fingerprinting, and background verify. Taxis have been underneath the purview of Boston Police for many years. Rideshares must be no completely different,” stated Councilor Flynn.“Alleged incidents of sexual assault involving rideshares are deeply unsettling for residents throughout Boston. As well as, it’s worthwhile to debate prohibiting out-of-state operators, in addition to the affect that limitless TNCs have on visitors and our roads with tens of 1000’s of journeys per day.”
For extra info, please contact Councilor Flynn’s workplace at 617-635-3203 or Ed.Flynn@Boston.gov.
