July 1, 2014

Dear Councilmember ____________.

We are writing to ask you to join us in supporting the historic taxi/flat rate /Transportation Network Company (TNC) negotiated agreement for the City of Seattle, which has been presented to the City Council for action.

As participants in the mediation process that led to this agreement representing every segment of the industry our organizations and members know that this carefully crafted proposal preserves public safety, modernizes regulations, and takes significant steps toward an even playing field for all parties while maximizing the range of transportation options available for Seattle residents.

Reaching this agreement was far from easy, and would not have been possible without the hard work of the City Councils Committee on Taxi, For-Hire and Limousine Regulations over the past year. When the negotiations began, no one at the table had much faith that we could get to a mutually acceptable result. But after two months of intensive discussion and difficult compromises conducted in close cooperation with the City, we did.

We urge you to pass the ordinance as is. As you know, this proposal represents a delicately balanced compromise that addresses complex policy issues impacting all stakeholders. Many points of the proposal that may seem minor were actually painstakingly negotiated, and even small changes in the terms could cause support for the agreement to collapse.

In addition, we ask that you move to consider and enact this agreement quickly in order to avoid a divisive ballot initiative fight. As part of the negotiations, the TNC companies agreed to suspend their efforts for the previously filed referendum on the Council ordinance, instead introducing a ballot initiative as an alternative plan in case the negotiations were unsuccessful. Signatures are currently being collected for the initiative, and the deadline for turning in those signatures in time to qualify for the November ballot is only a few days away.

We appreciated your unanimous decision yesterday to refer the ordinance to the full Council. We ask further that you take action quickly to repeal the original ordinance and enact the new proposal into law no later than next Monday, July 7th. Your quick and decisive action in this matter can bring a successful and positive conclusion to all of our efforts yours and ours as we have debated these issues extensively for more than a year. We know that you share our concern for this important issue. We thank you for your consideration and hope that we can count on your support.

Sincerely, David Friend, President, Yellow Cab

Gurcharan Dhaliwal, President, Farwest Taxi

Amin Shifow, Wheelchair-Accessible Taxi Operator

Abdul Yusuf, For Hire Drivers and Owners Association

Tracey Thompson, Secretary-Treasurer, Teamsters Local 117

Katie Kincaid, Government Affairs Manager, Lyft

Brooke Steger, General Manager, Uber Seattle

Rachelle Chong, Interim General Counsel, Sidecar