Uber is expanding its ride-sharing service into Greenwood.
Mayor Carolyn McAdams says she is pleased to hear the news.
“We need them here, and we welcome them here,” said McAdams, noting that taxi services were severely limited in the city.
She said she has heard about the announcement through Uber’s website, but the city has had no communications with the San Francisco-based company that operates in more than 600 cities worldwide.
“I am trying to find out who I can speak to,” she said.
The company announced that beginning last Friday, its ride-sharing service would be up and running in the Mississippi Delta, the Golden Triangle area around Starkville and Columbus, and Meridian.
The Mississippi Delta region covered by Uber, according to its website, runs from Clarksdale in the north to near Yazoo City in the south and from Greenville in the west to Winona in the east.
As of this morning, however, there were no drivers apparently signed up to provide rides in Greenwood.
Uber filed a request for a statewide permit through the Mississippi Department of Insurance. Under a 2016 state law, ride-sharing services such as Uber are regulated by both state and municipal governments but with most of that responsibility being handled at the state level, according to Trey Bobinger, a lobbyist for the Mississippi Municipal League.
“I think Uber wanted a uniform policy around the state rather than different ordinances,” Bobinger said. “There is always a fine balance, as municipalities we are always looking to maintain home rule. There is a sensitivity there as far as local governments being able to regulate certain things.”
Uber representatives could not be reached for comment.
•Contact Lauren Randall at 581-7239 or lrandall@gwcommonwealth.com.
