Sign an online petition to support Seattle rideshares like Uber, Lyft

Seattle-area rideshare companies, such as Uber, are reaching out to riders for help as city officials could force them to raise rates.

RELATED: Seattle rideshare fees could spike under latest council idea

Caleb Weaver is the regional public affairs manager for Uber. He says that the Seattle City Council is considering new regulations on rideshare companies. He says the city wants to set rates on rideshareslike similar to taxis. Weaver argues that Uber and Lyft are not like taxis, however.

The current idea floating around city hall, according to Weaver, is to impose a minimum rate of $2.40 a mile. That is nearly double the per-mile rate that customers currently pay.

“It’s really going to hurt people down in Rainier Valley, or the people that live up north in Bitter Lake, farther from the city core and have to take longer rides,” Weaver said. “They are going to see the worst impact of those rates going up. It doesn’t make any sense when you have a city that is already struggling with traffic and you are going to make it harder for people to share rides and carpool. In a city where costs are already rising, and people are struggling with the costs of living, to then add a cost — it doesn’t make any sense.”

Seattle rideshare users can sign an online petition in opposition to city officials meddling with rates. After the petition launched Monday, April 2, it got more than 10,000 signatures in a day.

“When people stand up and say, ‘I’m a voter and this is a terrible idea,’ eventually they do listen,” Weaver said. “Not always. But we have seen it happen in the past and I think that’s the best chance we got.”

The city council is currently discussing potential rideshare regulations. No legislation has been proposed yet.