In a recent vote, the people of Austin, Texas have chosen to get rid of Uber and Lyft due to the fact that neither of these companies fingerprint their drivers. Austin voted 56-44 percent against Proposition 1, which would have allowed these companies to use the same background checks that they have been using. An email sent out by Uber stated, “Disappointment does not begin to describe how we feel about shuttering operations in Austin… While the road back is uncertain for now, we won’t give up on Austin.” There seems to be some hope that Uber and Lyft will fight to stay in Austin, but as for now, Uber and Lyft will no longer operate within Austin city limits. If you are somewhere outside of city limits and need to be taken into Austin, drivers can do that, but they cannot pick you up in Austin.

The vote against Prop 1 has caused a lot of confusion about what will happen next. Austin is one of the fastest growing cities in the nation, so it comes as no shock that there will be some issues with Uber and Lyft leaving the city. Many people use these companies to get to work, to get a ride home after a night of drinking, or to just get around the city without worrying about parking. Steve Adler, mayor of Austin, came out with a statement about what will happen in the future. Some of the main points that he hit were…

Austin hopes to continue talking with Uber and Lyft and hopefully will come up with a compromise in the future.

Austin is exploring different companies that already use fingerprinting as background checks.

He asked the people of Austin to be patient as we all deal with this transition.

Austin will expand and improve other transportation options to make getting around Austin easier.

With such a high demand for companies such as Uber and Lyft, there will be other companies that pop up to fill the void. Being from Austin, Uber and Lyft were always the most convenient ways to get around town when I didn’t want to drive, but the decision has been made. The transition may be difficult, but I am confident that a compromise will be made and that other companies will be brought to the table that already background check by fingerprinting. For now, explore different transportation options such as the metro system, biking, or taking a walk every once in a while.