Houston reaches new agreement to keep Uber around

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Mayor Sylvester Turner announced the city of Houston has reached a new agreement with Uber. The city had previously pushed to require background checks for drivers, considered a sticking point financially for the ride service.


Sarfraz Maredia, General Manager of Uber (Texas) released the following statement in response to Mayor Turner's announcement: "For the past few months, we have worked in good faith with Mayor Turner to come to a compromise that would allow us to stay for the Super Bowl. Uber fully intends to continue operating through the Super Bowl under the City's proposed licensing changes."

In addition, a new multimodal transportation app is launching.

"I am thrilled we can finally put this issue to rest and focus on the real task at hand-providing a great Super Bowl experience that shows off our City," said Mayor Turner in a statement. "We've crafted a proposal that reduces the length and cost of a driver application but still protects public safety. This is a win for drivers and passengers alike. These changes will help make sure that visitors have a seamless experience during the Super Bowl and Houstonians have diverse transportation options to meet the growing needs of our city."



Related: Ride sharing alternatives, options available in Houston

In the agreement, the city will reduce licensing costs and speed up the process, allowing for licensing under 20 minutes, the city said.

The city's policy on background checks doesn't change, continuing the use of fingerprint checks.

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