Daphne has become the latest Baldwin County city to grapple with the arrival of Uber, as officials there begin working out how the ridesharing service should be regulated on the Eastern Shore.
Mayor Dane Haygood told the City Council he has received reports that Uber drivers are already operating in Daphne, and he encouraged council members to begin addressing the issue through the Ordinance Committee. From a code enforcement standpoint, Haygood said, the city’s revenue department believes Uber drivers should be treated the same as any other taxi service operating within city limits.
“We’re going to continue to look at that, and the ordinance committee might want to ensure that this new wave of internet-based delivery matches our business license model and accomplishes some uniformity with the competing local businesses,” Haygood said.
The debate over how to regulate Uber first surfaced in Mobile in June, when the app-based service began operating in the city. After weeks of discussion over enforcement rules, Mobile officials ultimately passed an ordinance legalizing the ride-hailing service within city limits.
Uber, founded in 2009, connects riders with drivers who use their own personal vehicles, with background checks and fare payments handled largely through the company’s smartphone app. Riders receive a fare estimate before booking, and the cost is automatically charged once the ride is complete.
The company’s marketing campaign for the Alabama Gulf Coast has touted service to “Mobile, Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, or anywhere in between,” but Mobile so far remains the only city in the region with an ordinance specifically addressing the service. Concerns about drivers operating without local authorization were raised last month by the Orange Beach City Council, and the Gulf Shores Police Department took an especially hard line, stating in a Facebook post that Uber drivers were operating illegally in the city and calling the service “highly dangerous,” though the post was later toned down considerably.
Not every Baldwin County city has taken a skeptical stance. Fairhope officials recently signaled a more welcoming approach toward Uber and are expected to use Mobile’s ordinance as a template for crafting their own rules for the service.
With Daphne now weighing in, Baldwin County cities appear split between cautious regulation and open acceptance of ridesharing, leaving riders and drivers across the Eastern Shore navigating a patchwork of local rules as each city works out its own approach.