Uber and the much ballyhooed sharing economy has hit a snag in West Windsor.
Motorists heading to the train station may have noticed a temporary sign on Vaughn Drive warning Uber and Lyft drivers of potential fines for “violations.”
The traffic division is issuing motor vehicle summonses for no proper insurance to Uber drivers in the township. At the September 28 Council meeting police chief Joe Pica explained the department is working with the state motor vehicle department.
“The problem is we have licensed cabbies who have gone through the proper process to get licensed, to pay the fees, to do the background investigations, to do everything proper to solicit riders in our town. They go to the train station and they wait in line for their fares to come in,” Pica says.
“For Uber drivers all you need is an app on your phone and anybody can go pick up people, anywhere, in their free time. Uber says they are going to cover any accidents or injuries that occur. We don’t know if that’s true or not at this point because it hasn’t been tested.
“New Jersey motor vehicle has an issue with that because these people are using their private vehicles, and when they are applying for insurance they are not listing the vehicle as a commercial vehicle. So the issue is if one of these Uber drivers get in an accident with serious injuries or death, who is going to pay out? That is yet to be determined.”
Added Pica on the police department’s current policy: “The Uber drivers are being confronted. They are being asked to stop doing it. We show up when the fares show up. It’s pretty clear to us who the Uber drivers are.”
