Report: Virginia DMV Lifts Uber and Lyft Ban

The Virginia DMV has reportedly lifted the ban on ride sharing services such as Uber and Lyft—at least for now! The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) has issued a press release praising Gov. Terry McAuliffe for reversing the ban against these innovative companies:

We are encouraged by reports that the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) is taking steps to allow innovative transportation network providers Uber and Lyft to operate in the Commonwealth…We applaud Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe for his leadership on this issue and the DMV for listening to the voices of Virginia’s consumers and entrepreneurs.

It looks like we are still waiting for the official announcement from the Virginia DMV. If confirmed, this is fantastic news!

When the news broke that the Virginia DMV sent cease and desist letters to Uber and Lyft, FreedomWorks sprang into action. We sent an email to our Virginia members urging them to let their voices be heard. We launched an action alert encouraging them to contact Governor McAuliffe, DMV Commissioner Richard Holcomb, Attorney General Mark Herring, and Department of Transportation Secretary Aubrey Layne. Our message is clear: It is not the government’s job to pick winners and losers in the market.

FreedomWorks members sent over 100 messages to let it be known that the banning of ride sharing services only benefits a few crony special interests. The government picking favorites hurts the everyday Virginia citizen and we won’t stand for it.

We helped spread the news on our blog and social media networks.

This blog was clear and to the point: Virginia Government: Hands Off Uber!

Another blog post shared the compelling story of a Lyft driver who escaped war in Syria to come to the United States to make a good living—and the government is trying to shut him down.

We also had an article in the Washington Examiner encouraging government to not limit people’s transportation options.

Thank you to everyone who tweeted, called, and sent a message to the “powers to be” in Virginia’s government to tell them: Don’t ban Uber and Lyft! This goes to show that putting grassroots pressure on government officials can and does work. Good work, everyone!

If confirmed, we applaud the Virginia DMV for encouraging public comments on ride sharing services and allowing them to operate in the state.