House Bill 1316 has been put on Governor Hickenlooper’s desk. This bill would streamline the process of becoming a transportation company. Under the current law, any prospective taxi company in the Denver metro area has to prove that there is a “public need” prior to getting authorization by the Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to operate as public carrier. But if the Governor signs this bill into law, then that public need requirement will be eliminated. This is great news for potential competitors to Metro Taxi, Yellow Cab, Uber and other transportation providers in the Denver area. This would make it much easier for potential competitor taxi companies to operate because traditionally it has been hard to establish public need.
With any regulated industry, and the PUC oversees the regulated industry of transportation in Colorado, you should expect a certain level of “jumping through hoops.” If Governor Hickenlooper signs House Bill 1316, then a major hoop will have been removed, and the process of starting a transportation business will be much easier.
