Ride-hailing companies Uber and Lyft will resume service in Austin on Monday, after Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill into law that regulates transportation networking companies across Texas.
Lyft resumed service at 10:40 a.m. and Uber resumed at noon.
Abbott signed House Bill 100 into law with Uber and Lyft drivers behind him at the Texas Department of Transportation Riverside Campus on Monday morning.
"Texas has longtime been the home for innovation and economic growth, but a patchwork quilt of compliance complexities are forcing businesses out of the Lone Star State," Governor Abbott in a statement. "My goal as Governor is to remove the barriers of government to encourage competition, and empower consumers to choose. This bill increases economic liberty while still ensuring customer safety, and I thank Representative Chris Paddie for his work on this legislation."
HB100 includes the following requirements:
- Drivers must undergo an annual criminal background check.
- Drivers must provide "all necessary information" to passengers before each ride.
- Drivers must give passengers electronic receipts.
- A zero-tolerance intoxication standard for drivers will be strictly enforced.
Uber previously confirmed in an email to KVUE that it will return to Austin on May 29. Lyft sent a text to drivers, including a KVUE employee who also drives for Lyft. That text reads:
“Lyft alert: Start your engines! We’re re-launching in Austin on Monday. See you on the roads!”
Lyft and Uber both left Austin shortly after the May 2016 vote on Proposition 1, which requires ride-hailing drivers in Austin to undergo fingerprint background checks.