The vote for, or against Proposition 1 has been the talk going around in Austin for what seems, like awhile now. But, the debate is going to be decided on Saturday, May 7. To vote for Prop 1 would mean that Uber and Lyft would keep the standardized criminal background checks, without implementing fingerprinting. The vote against Prop 1 would give the city of Austin control over ridesharing by implementing fingerprint background checks, in addition to the criminal background checks.
If the voters decide against Prop 1, Uber and Lyft might not be around for long in this big city, already having stated that they would leave if the decision against is made. This would not only take away jobs from the citizens of Austin, but DWI rates which have decreased since the arrival of Uber and Lyft, would potentially increase. Also, the control of background checks on drivers would be done by the city of Austin, also adding fingerprinting to the game which would cost more to get done. This could potentially cause taxpayers in the long-run.
To be honest, I think voters should vote for Prop 1. Since the arrival of Uber and Lyft DWI rates have decreased exponentially, making our roads safer to be on. It has also created a safer and easier way to make money, whether it is a full-time gig, or part-time. There are many citizens of Austin who are not able to work full-time jobs and need an easy way to make some money, and ridesharing has helped with that. Since Uber and Lyft already conduct criminal background checks, which are done through Third-party companies, it is safer and it doesn't cost the tax-payers anything. Drivers are also required to go through training to establish a safe driving program, have car-insurance, as well as, mandatory digital safety features which requires drivers to display accurate pictures of themselves with a description of their vehicles and license plate numbers. Ultimately I believe we should vote for Prop 1 before we lose Uber and Lyft in our city.
As I was going through my classmates' blogs I came across an original editorial/commentary from Sebastian Espinoza, titled "PROP 1." Going over this article seems to be too late since Proposition 1 was not passed on may 7th. However I still feel like this could easily happen in other cities so it some how is still relevant. Proposition 1 was intended to keep the city from requiring both Uber and Lyft to have fingerprint background checks.
ReplyDeleteAfter hearing about Proposition 1 being voted against I started to think about what Mr. Espinoza was saying. I agree completely with Mr. Espinoza, everything from these companies lowering DWI rates to them creating more jobs for the citizens of the city. He stated that since Uber and Lyft arrived that DWI rate have decreased. seeing that proposition 1 was voted against does this mean that DWI could rise again in the future? Overall i agree with Mr. Espinoza that we should have of voted for proposition 1.