Uber, Lyft should get chance to compete for drivers

Time was, when you needed a hot meal and a place to sleep, you took your chances at the roadside inn.

There were no Hiatts, Holiday Inns or other franchise hotels and motels.

The same went for transportation; you shared the road with a walking companion, or paid a good part of your savings to a wagon master, a la Ward Bond, and you and your family braved the Plains as your wagon train headed to Oregon.

No Amtrak or airlines in those days.

We're on the verge of recreating those earlier days in Nebraska, giving ordinary drivers a chance to make money by providing rides.

Uber, Lyft and other ride-booking services have run afoul of Nebraska regulations, aimed at more conventional common carriers like taxi cabs.

It's not a sure thing; the Transportation and Telecomunications Committee voted 5-2 Tuesday to advance regulations covering ride services made possible by the widespread use of smart phones.

Banks and insurance companies aren't keen on the idea of risking funds by insuring and lending to amateur ride-providers.

And, the committee chairman, Sen. Jim Smith of Papillion, says he voted against advancing the bill because he's disappointed in Uber allowing drivers to operate without state approval.

For its part, Uber, founded in 2009 and since expanded to 162 metro areas and 42 countries, says it requires a three-step criminal background check, with ongoing reviews of the drivers' driving records.

Lyft does similar screens, reviewing driving incidents and criminal records as well as the national sex offender registry.

We've never used either service, but suspect it might be similar to choosing a privately operated bed-and-breakfast as opposed to checking into a motel.

Yes, there are screening organizations, but no mom-and-pop facility is going to be exactly like any other.

And, we can understand the objections of conventional cab companies, which have operated under expensive, restrictive and frustrating regulations for years, only to see business siphoned away by smartphone-toting amateurs.

But if Lyft, Uber and the others provide a needed service responsibly, at a reasonable price, and by taking advantage of new technology, there's no reason they shouldn't have a chance to compete.