April 28, 2015
The Honorable Scott Walker
Governor of Wisconsin
115 East Capitol
Madison, WI 53702
Dear Governor Walker,
As legislators representing Dane County, we write today to urge you to veto AB 143/SB 106, the bill recently passed by the Legislature allowing transportation network companies, such as Uber and Lyft, to operate statewide with minimal state oversight and no local oversight.
This letter is prompted by two incidents that occurred in Madison early in the morning on Saturday, April 25, and Sunday, April 26. The Madison Police Department received two separate reports from women indicating inappropriate sexual contact while riding in a car hired through Uber. In the first incident, a woman told police she had been touched inappropriately by the driver of an Uber car. The second incident involved a woman who reported that an Uber driver tried to kiss her, then attempted to contact her by phone and text message.
According to the first police incident report, a 23-year-old Madison woman reported being touched inappropriately by an Uber driver. The incident report states, “She said the driver asked her to sit in the front of the car. He then touched her leg and arm several times while telling her that he liked her, and that he was going to take her someplace other than her apartment.” The woman also reported to police that the driver initially refused to let her out of the vehicle, though she was eventually able to leave. The report indicates that she was left with two bruises on her leg.
The second police incident report indicates, “A 26 year old Madison woman reported she utilized Uber services to get a ride from downtown to the West side. After the ride was complete, she stated the driver reached into the back seat taking her hand and kissed it, then while still grasping her hand pulled her closer and attempted to kiss the female. The female fled the vehicle, but then received text messages and phone calls from the driver with more unwanted contact.”
Perhaps most disturbing is Uber’s response after police were contacted. The victim in the first incident was able to provide the investigating officer with an Uber receipt, which did not completely identify the name of the driver. When the police contacted Uber to obtain information about the driver, Uber refused to provide this information without a warrant or subpoena.
Had this incident occurred in a licensed taxicab, driver information would have been immediately available, as all drivers must be licensed individually and records are checked and maintained by the local police department. Identifying information and a license number would have been available in the vehicle, as required by law. Unfortunately, the bill coming to your desk does not contain any mechanisms for licensing TNC drivers and does not allow local units of government to put such requirements in place.
Prior to passage of the bill, a letter of concern from Rape Crisis Center was shared during the Assembly debate. Unfortunately, the concerns shared by victim advocates are bearing out in our community. We are not alone in facing this problem, as similar news reports have been shared in Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., San Francisco, and numerous other cities throughout the country.
We urge you to veto AB 143/SB 106 and insist that any bill regulating transportation network companies allow local municipalities to govern the licensing of drivers. It is unconscionable to allow a bill with arguably the most lax safety regulations in the country for TNCs to become law in Wisconsin, especially in the face of this recent incident and Uber’s lack of cooperation with the Madison Police Department investigating this sexual assault.
Sincerely,
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Lisa Subeck State Representative 78th Assembly District |
Chris Taylor State Representative 76th Assembly District |
Terese Berceau State Representative 77th Assembly District |
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Melissa Sargent State Representative 48th Assembly District |
Dianne Hesselbein State Representative 79th Assembly District |
Sondy Pope State Representative 80th Assembly District |
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Andy Jorgensen State Representative 43rd Assembly District |
Dave Considine State Representative 81st Assembly District |
Robb Kahl State Representative 47th Assembly District |
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Gary Hebl State Representative 46th Assembly District |
Fred Risser State Senator 26th Senate District |
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