We shudder to think how many hours of staff and legal work at the Colorado Public Utilities Commission have gone into crafting new rules since Uber’s luxury limousine service came to town last year, but let’s bury such bleak thoughts in place of a happy one: The good guys ultimately won.
Yes, after months during which the PUC staff and an administrative law judge proposed that would have shut down the innovative provider of on-demand limo service at the click of a smartphone app, the three commissioners balked.
They declined on Tuesday to adopt the overly restrictive rules, that Uber can continue to provide its rapidly growing customer base with the service they obviously desire.
“Luxury limousines are, by definition, more expensive than taxis,” PUC chairman Joshua Epel said. “I think existing enforcement mechanisms are adequate.”
Of course they are.
In fact, the primary reason the PUC lumbered into rule-making in the first place was that that Uber’s innovative service, although more expensive, might siphon some of their business. It was a classic case of existing providers trying to squash an upstart.
But thanks to the commissioners, the upstart prevailed.
