Seattle suspends ordinance against ridesharing services

The City of Seattle’s ordinance against ridesharing services has been suspended. A group has collected enough signatures to place a referendum on the ballot that would overturn the recently approved regulations for companies like UberX and Lyft. The new regulations would have gone into effect later this month. Seattle Mayor Ed Murray says the taxi companies and ridesharing companies have agreed to enter a 45-day negotiation process. 

Seattle’s ride-sharing controversy just took an unexpected turn. A coalition group has collected enough signatures to suspend a newly-passed ordinance regulating companies like UberX and Lyft, and now Mayor Ed Murray wants to work with all stakeholders to reach a new agreement. The group, which received more than $400,000 in donations from Uber, Lyft and Sidecar, submitted more than 36,000 signatures today to the City Clerk’s office, more than double what was required (16,510). The City of Seattle has a referendum process in place for situations like this, and if citizens can gather enough signatures — eight percent of the total number of votes cast for mayor in the last mayoral election (206,377) — newly-approved ordinances will be put on hold and then voted on by Seattle residents.