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Uber begins operating in Springfield

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The popular ridesharing app, Uber, began providing service in Springfield Thursday. The city is now only the fourth in the state of Missouri to host the transportation network company (TNC) alongside St. Louis, Kansas City and Columbia.

Uber spokesman Bobby Kellman said that the company was excited to get its footing in Missouri’s third largest city.

“Now the people of Springfield have the same options to meet their transportation needs as other major American cities,” Kellman said in a statement.

The Springfield City Council passed a bill unanimously Monday night that would regulate not only TNCs like Uber and Lyft, but also taxicab services. While council members have discussed the bill for months, the major provision that prompted its passage basically gives companies more oversight on driver background checks than the city government. The type of background checks used have often been a sticking point with lawmakers that want tighter restrictions on TNCs.

“The regulations approved by the city council should serve as a model for statewide regulations, which we are hopeful the Missouri legislature will enact in their upcoming legislative session in Jefferson City,” Kellman said.

Several state legislators introduced bills last cycle sponsored and supported by Uber and Lyft that would make a statewide framework for TNCs, but measures stalled in the Senate. While proponents are eager to credit TNCs for their ability to give their drivers a good source of supplementary income, opponents have concerns about the safety of passengers should drivers not be properly vetted.