Baltimore City Council’s Taxation, Finance, and Economic Development Committee approved a bill on January 23, 2020 that will allow the city to collect millions in taxes on Uber and Lyft rides. The rideshare tax bill will be heard by the full council on January 27 and is expected to be signed by Mayor Bernard C. “Jack” Young.

This bill was introduced over a year ago, but went unheard after the resignation of ex-Mayor Catherine E. Pugh. After her resignation, the committee postponed the hearing on the bill to allow newly-appointed Councilman Brandon Scott time to be briefed on the details.

As 2020 begins, the four Mayors of Hawaii are already looking to make some changes regarding transportation in the state in order to control traffic on the islands. While the initiatives mainly focus on rideshare apps and e-scooters, they are also pushing for a new added fee to drivers’ annual registration. Let’s take a look at what the mayors are asking of state lawmakers.

New legislation in Massachusetts, introduced by Governor Charlie Baker several months ago, is geared toward protecting riders’ personal information, collecting more trip data, and implementing stiffer penalties for drivers who neglect to maintain their vehicles or follow their rideshare company’s rules. The regulations are now being reviewed by the Joint Transportation Committee.

Uber is a popular rideshare service that allows people to navigate a city or town without a car or knowledge of the area. In California, a new law was passed that will affect the company and those who drive for it. California passed a new gig-economy law called Assembly Bill No. 5. This states that workers for the company will need to be treated as employees as opposed to independent contractors. They’ll be eligible for sick days and other employee benefits. In an effort to respond to this change, the company is testing a new feature in some small cities: allowing Uber drivers to set their own fares.

We’ve always been told not to get into cars with strangers. While it’s great advice, advancements in technology have made getting into a stranger’s car into a commodity. It’s not exactly a bad thing—more people than ever before have access to reliable transportation for a relatively low cost. But we’re still left with a question: Is it safe to be in the car with this person?

More recently, Uber has been in the news with problems concerning safety. Some drivers reportedly physically and sexually assaulted their riders, others have gone off route and scared their riders so badly that they get out of the car and call for help. On the more serious end, a rider mistakenly got into a car who she thought was her Uber and was murdered by the driver posing as her Uber driver. To combat having more unacceptable scenarios that put their riders in serious danger, Uber has tightened their driver screening process.