Steve Burns
WMAL.com

WASHINGTON – (WMAL) Washington D.C.’s Mayor and the C.E.O. of the ride-hailing company Uber announced a data-sharing partnership Wednesday, aimed at learning more about travel and congestion in the city’s streets. However, the cooperation comes amid a discussion in the District about raising taxes on ride-hailing companies in part to pay for new, permanent funding for Metro.

Bowser defended her proposal, insisting the ride-hail tax was only a small part of the District’s plan to raise $175 million.

“We looked across the city to a variety of payers to say, ‘We have to raise these new revenues,'” Bowser said at an event at Uber’s facility in Northeast DC. The plan calls for sales, commercial property, and hotel tax increases, along with the bump in taxes on Uber, Lyft, and other ride-hailing companies.

“That is the package that we think is the most fair, that hits property owners, it hits visitors, it hits residents, and it hits the ride-sharing services that we think is best for the city,” Bowser said.

She maintained companies like Uber and Lyft have been paying less in taxes than “comparable services,” presumably meaning cabs.

Reaction from Uber C.E.O. Dara Khosrowshahi to the tax was tepid, insisting a tax “will be a part of the price and it will increase the price of an Uber.”

“We want it to be fair and equitable, and I think we’re having discussions about that, as it relates to other, similar forms of transit,” Khosrowshahi said. “We do see this investment in mass transit that, ultimately, in the long term, is going to benefit us as well.”

Khosrowshahi was quick to point out his opposition to a tax on Uber POOL, which he put in the same category as other mass transit, in that it groups multiple trips into one vehicle.

“What we want to make sure is that you’re not taxing one form of shred transportation for another form of shared transportation,” he said. “All of that is a pool that is working for the good.”

Uber POOL rides have been significantly discounted, Khosrowshahi said, in order to help it gain popularity among users wary of sharing a car with a stranger. Both Khosrowshahi and Bowser agreed more people sharing one car is optimal.

“To the extent that you can get two people in a car, three people in a car, you can get a lot of cars off the road, which is incredibly important for the future of cities and transportation in general,” Khosrowshahi said.

In announcing the data-sharing agreement, Bowser signaled less of a competitive approach to companies like Uber, instead looking to them to solve problems that may have vexed the public sector.

“Some of the problems were all parts of the city had different access to transportation,” she said. “How can technology help us fix a disparate access to transportation?”

Khosrowshahi reiterated his wish to see Uber become part of the “fabric of the city,” necessitating some decisions that may not come cheap.

“If you’re going to be a true partner for the city, you have to serve the whole city,” he said. “There are some parts that are going to be tougher to serve, and maybe more expensive, et cetera. But it’s a responsibility that if we’re a partner to the city, we want to be available to everybody.”

For example, Uber’s EATS service, Khosrowshahi said, has taken off in poorer parts of the District that have fewer food delivery options.

“Making mobility available to everyone, everywhere, whether you’re in the center of the city or a traditionally under-served area is incredibly important to us,” he said.

Another issue was an overuse of the city’s ambulance service, Bowser said, from people who only needed a traditional ride to the hospital. Khosrowshahi said Uber HEALTH is in the works, providing a HIPAA-compliant, anonymous hospital transportation service.

The data being shared between Uber and the city should help to identify any under-served areas, Khosrowshahi said, and will only help to crystallize any remaining issues.

Bowser specifically mentioned idling and double-parked cars waiting for their fares in popular areas.

“How many people have seen…cars pulling over and there’s a traffic jam behind them? We want to work with companies to see how we can better manage that drop off and pick up so that we’re moving people around the city better,” she said.

A pilot project is currently underway in Dupont Circle, designating a pick up and drop off zone for ride-hailing. If it’s successful, Bowser said, it could be expanded elsewhere in the city.

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