South Carolina Tells Uber To Take A Hike

Add South Carolina to the list of states and cities grappling with the pluses and minuses of allowing ride-sharing services like Lyft and Uber. The state’s Public Service Commission released a cease and desist order yesterday afternoon to put a temporary end to ridesharing services from Uber subsidiary Raiser. 

The state is contemplating an application from Rasier for a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity, which would give Uber approval to operate in the state.

Trouble sprang up when the Public Service Commission determined that the ride sharing service might be operating before an official conclusion was reached. “At this point, it is not necessary to make a finding of fact that the Applicant is or is not operating,” the order states. “It is only necessary that the Applicant be held to the same standard ads every other applicant. To the extent that Rasier or its related companies and affiliates and /or its network partner drivers are currently operating, they must cease and desist operating unless and until the Application is approved and a Certificate is issued.”

South Carolina’s situation is not all that different from those in Virginia, New York and Portland, Ore., among others. Rather than ban ridesharing entirely, many city and state governments are trying to catch up their laws to the technology. Uber has faced resistance from some taxi companies and has faced criticism for an executive’s comments about journalists, but the company soldiers on and has begun wooing city and state governments with its traffic data, which could be used by city planners.