Uber starting in Texarkana on Aug. 29

August 21, 2017 at 8:41 p.m. | Updated August 21, 2017 at 8:51 p.m.

by Karl Richter

In this Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016, file photo, a driver displaying Lyft and Uber stickers on his front windshield drops off a customer in downtown Los Angeles. Hailing a ride with a smartphone app in many U.S. cities could come down to a fight over fingerprints. Following incidents where Uber drivers were found to have criminal records, a growing number of state and local governments want ride-hailing drivers to undergo fingerprint background checks. Uber and its chief rival, Lyft, have fought those checks, contending their own method of vetting drivers is just as safe.
In this Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016, file photo, a driver displaying Lyft and Uber stickers on his front windshield drops off a customer in downtown Los Angeles. Hailing a ride with a smartphone app in many U.S. cities could come down to a fight over fingerprints. Following incidents where Uber drivers were found to have criminal records, a growing number of state and local governments want ride-hailing drivers to undergo fingerprint background checks. Uber and its chief rival, Lyft, have fought those checks, contending their own method of vetting drivers is just as safe.

Ride-hailing service Uber will begin operating in Texarkana next week.

The company's local launch date is Tuesday, Aug. 29, communcations manager Travis Considine said.

Uber will reconcile any differences between Arkansas and Texas regulations by adhering to the stricter of the two, the company told the Gazette last week.

Uber has been planning expansion into smaller Texas cities such as Texarkana, Marshall, Longview and Tyler since uniform statewide rules for such businesses were adopted this year.

In May, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed legislation that sets rules for companies such as Uber and competitor Lyft. The law requires an annual permit fee of $5,000 and criminal background checks for drivers, and it prohibits any regulation at the local level.

Arkansas enacted a similar law in 2015, requiring a permit fee of $15,000 per year and driver background checks. Arkansas also prohibits local regulation.

Uber drivers are independent contractors who use their personal vehicles and connect with customers through the company's smartphone app. Customers pay for rides digitally, and the company keeps a portion of each fare.

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