- Published: Thursday, March 06, 2014 05:41 PM
Illinois State Senator Martin Sandoval (D-Chicago), Chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee today announced he will hold a committee hearing next Thursday, March 13, on a number of public safety questions about new transportation providers in the state of Illinois, including Uberx, Lyft and Sidecar.
The purpose of the hearing is to determine what specific gaps concerning insurance and public safety currently exist and how to best implement policies to protect the citizens of Illinois. The committee has invited members of the ride-share community to explain their insurance policies and safety training materials.
“Over the years the Illinois Senate led by Senate President John Cullerton has worked hard to improve the safety of Illinois’ streets and highways,” said Chairman Sandoval. “Recent news reports have raised the concern of possible safety gaps created by new transportation companies operating in Illinois, specifically concerns about adequate insurance. When an Illinois citizen steps into a taxi, they expect they are properly protected and covered by our laws governing operations and insurance requirements. It is not entirely clear these new ‘rideshare’ companies are following necessary public safety standards including adequate insurance, criminal background checks and vehicle maintenance.”
The Senate Transportation Committee has requested full commercial insurance policies of UberX, Lyft and Sidecar demonstrating they have full commercial insurance as well as copies of all training/safety manuals offered to drivers of these ride-share companies.
In addition to the ride-share companies themselves, the committee expects to hear testimony from representatives of the Illinois Department of Insurance, automobile insurance providers, legal experts and representatives of the taxi industry.