Photo by Adam Fagen on Flickr.

How do you deregulate a transportation service like taxis? The popularity of competitors such as Uber, Lyft and Sidecar has stirred calls to loosen regulations and allow innovative business models. That’s good. The question now is what role the government should play.

The best approach for these app-based services is transparency.

Traditional taxis are heavily regulated. Governments control fares, paint schemes and the number of vehicles. When you can hail a vehicle with an app, many of these rules become unnecessary. Yet existing laws didn’t anticipate these services, meaning they often are technically illegal. Maryland and Virginia are allowing the services but are still writing regulations. Legislation in the District will soon move forward.

Continue reading my latest column in the Washington Post.

David Alpert created Greater Greater Washington in 2008 and was its executive director until 2020. He formerly worked in tech and has lived in the Boston, San Francisco Bay, and New York metro areas in addition to Washington, DC. He lives with his wife and two children in Dupont Circle.