Having been around for a few months ride-sharing companies Uber and Lyft are here to stay.
These are companies that act like taxis but aren’t regulated quite the same way.
That doesn’t mean they are having an easy go of it, though.
Local governments are starting to pile on the operating fees. The most recent fee comes from Las Vegas, whose City Council voted to charge a $50 licensing fee per driver every six months.
Councilman Bob Beers, Ward 2, voted for the fee. He talked to "KNPR's State of Nevada" about the city's move.
According to Beers, state law requires local governments to treat ride-hailing companies like any other business. Since it can be argued that an individual driver is his or her own business owner because the companies designate them as independent contractors, Beers thinks the fee is appropriate.
"We had to treat them just like everybody else," he said, "If we were going to treat them as independent contractors like we do real estate agents or accountants it would be $110 a year."
The companies will provide a list of their independent contractors and will pay the fee, Beers explained. From there, it will be up to the companies to decide whether they want to absorb the price of the fee as a cost of doing business or pass it along to drivers.
Bob Beers, Las Vegas City Counci8lman, Ward 2
