With Recent Announcement, Uber Set To Achieve Total Victory In Maryland

Global Transportation Provider Announces 50,000 New Driver Jobs On East Coast, Including 5000 In Maryland & 500 In Baltimore

BALTIMORE -- (MINS) Despite non-stop waves of bad press, Uber has been quietly gaining victories throughout the country, if not world. Often meeting with still initial resistance, persistence and shrewd cunning tactics has seen Uber winning over regulators one at a time, as they roll on to total market domination. 

While naysayers raise concerns and complaints, the company -- valued at over $40 billion dollars -- operating in over 250 cities around the world, is clearly here to stay. They're sinking roots ever deeper in local transportation infrastructure from coast to coast.

Perhaps no company in history has so skillfully lobbied legislators to get what they're after.

For two years in a row, State Sen. Bill Ferguson, a Baltimore Democrat, has introduced legislation that would provide lighter regulatory oversight for Uber and other ridesharing companies in the state.

The Baltimore Sun reports the rideshare company announced the launch of "Uber's Urban Partnership," or "UberUP" in Annapolis last Friday.

The location is highly significant, as Annapolis is a city -- the only jurisdiction in the entire Maryland, DC and Virginia area -- that has threatened to levy fines and tickets on Uber drivers operating within it's borders.

Uber also announced several days of free rides for users in Annapolis. And end run around regulations, as without charging a fee, regulators are powerless to stop them.

Last month Virginia enacted legislation permanently permitting the rideshare provider to operate. DC passed similar legislation last Novemeber.

Using the word "partnership" is significant. The announcement was made with numerous heavy hitters with significant community and legislative clout on stage along with Uber.

According to The Baltimore Sun:

"The announcement in Annapolis on Friday afternoon drew an urban renewal expert, an NAACP representative, the head of the Maryland Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and lawmakers from Baltimore City and Prince George's County who all praised the move as key to bringing employment to people left out of the economic recovery.

"I'm very excited about the opportunity that Uber opens up for jobs, jobs, jobs," said Del. Cheryl D. Glenn, a Democrat from Baltimore. "That's what we're about. Good-paying jobs for our people."

Glenn, who said she had never used the car-sharing service before co-sponsoring legislation to create a new regulatory plan for Uber, said she's done a lot of research and values the dependability and transparency that Uber's service provides. 

"In Baltimore City, we absolutely need help with our transportation," she said. 

Bob Ross, president of the Prince George's County chapter of the NAACP, praised the urban expansion as a way to let entrepreneurs quickly turn a profit. 

"It gives people a chance to have a part-time job, or a full-time job, without the expense of starting a business," he said."

Next month, Maryland's Public Service Commission will hold a rule-making session for broader regulations for Uber's services, including its most popular UberX service.

Source: Baltimore Sun

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