Drug testing pushed for Lyft, Uber drivers

State AG urges PRC to strengthen rules

SANTA FE — Drivers of ride-booking services Lyft and Uber in New Mexico should face strict drug-testing requirements like taxi drivers and keep detailed records of such tests, state Attorney General Hector Balderas has told regulators.

In a letter to the state’s Public Regulation Commission, Balderas asked commissioners to strengthen public-safety standards for ride-booking services amid new rules.

Last week, the state’s Public Regulation Commission voted 4-1 on new regulations clearing the way for the companies to function under guidelines separate from those that govern traditional taxi services.

But detailed drug-testing requirements were dropped. Instead, the commission voted to adopt rules requiring testing only after accidents.

Balderas said that wasn’t enough. “Although (transportation networking companies) are subject to the same requirements as other motor carriers for drug and alcohol testing, the new regulations do not require TNCs to maintain records of the tests,” Balderas wrote. “As a result, there is no effective way to monitor whether a TNC is complying with drug- and alcohol-testing requirements.”

The San Francisco-based Lyft and Uber use smartphone programs to connect people seeking rides with people who have cars. Both had been operating in New Mexico despite complaints from taxi companies.

Spokeswomen for Lyft and Uber did not immediately return emails from The Associated Press.

The legal status of Uber and Lyft in New Mexico had been in limbo since they began offering services in the state last year. The two businesses say the state’s Motor Carrier Act doesn’t apply to them because neither operates as a commercial taxi business. Rather, they offer an online service that allows people with cars to connect with people seeking rides, the companies said.

Balderas also urged commissioners to take public comment in order to consider changes to new rules.

Last year, the commission ordered Lyft to cease operations in Albuquerque, where the company had launched its service. A district judge in Santa Fe refused to enforce the commission’s order, allowing the company to operate in the capital city.