As I am sure many on campus have heard by now, there is an intense debate on the city level over whether Uber and Lyft, ridesharing services that operate through a mobile app, should be allowed to operate in Madison. While these pieces usually focus on issues with fierce partisan division, this week it appears we are in agreement, at least in principle, with our Republican counterparts. The College Republicans are in favor of allowing these new ridesharing services to function in our city, and overall, the College Democrats are as well. Where we begin to disagree centers on the conditions attached to permitting Uber and Lyft to operate in Madison.
The Republicans, as usual, stand opposed to government regulation of industry and subsequently, want to offer carte blanche to the new ridesharing services, allowing them to operate without complying with city background checks and the same carbon emission standards by which their existing competitors must abide. We feel that such deregulation would be ill-advised, potentially unsafe, unfair and against the fundamental principals of the Democratic Party.
Instead, we hope to see Uber and Lyft come to the table and work honestly and openly with the city to find a middle ground. We hope to see an agreement reached where carbon emissions are regulated to preserve the environment and background checks to ensure public safety. In return, the city would agree to embrace 21st century business ideas and take advantage of this new service, which promises to offer new avenues of transportation to the people of Madison.
We believe that such a compromise fits very well with the core values of the Democratic Party. Our party is built upon a strong belief in both fairness and opportunity for all Americans. Consequently, we feel it is appropriate to grant Uber and Lyft the opportunity to operate here in Madison if and only if they agree to compete on a fair playing field. Furthermore, our party has always been a party that embraced technology, encouraged innovation and welcomed change and the challenges that inevitably come with it. Uber and Lyft represent a new business model that, like it or not, is here to stay and we as a community need to address this reality by both adapting ourselves to work with new ideas while simultaneously requiring these new businesses to adapt to us. Finally, and maybe most importantly, our party and this great city have always valued the democratic process. As such, we owe it to ourselves to have an inclusive conversation about the future of these businesses in Madison, hopefully leading to a compromise in which new technology and business are embraced and parity is preserved.
Zachary Wood is a junior majoring in political science.
