On Wednesday, Eugene City council started the process which would allow for a return of ridesharing services like Uber and Lyft.
Eugene city councilors voted on Wednesday to move forward on the process of amending local regulations and ordinances, which halted Uber’s operations.
According to the Register-Guard, city council must vote again to amend the ordinances before Uber can return. This vote can only happen after a public hearing on the matter is held. The public hearing has not been scheduled. The actual amending will start after the public hearing.
Uber has a complicated history in Eugene. The ride-sharing service ran into trouble in 2014 after it failed to secure a required public transportation license and as a result acquired hefty fines that reached tens of thousands of dollars. In March 2015, the city of Eugene filed a lawsuit against Uber for failing to secure the required license and failing to comply with other regulations such as vehicle safety checks and driver background checks performed by the Eugene Police Department. In April 2015, Uber agreed to pay a reduced fine and suspend its ridesharing operations in Eugene.
Watch the Eugene City Council’s discussion of ride-share companies in Eugene:

The Emerald will continue to report on this story as it develops.
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