AN ACT CONCERNING TRANSPORTATION NETWORK COMPANIES AND TAXICABS

SUMMARY: This act modifies the regulatory framework established by PA 17-140 for transportation network companies (TNCs) (e.g., Uber and Lyft) that, among other things, requires them to register with the state and maintain insurance coverage. The act does so by:

1. lowering a TNC's initial registration fee from $50,000 to $5,000;

2. specifying that the auto insurance that PA 17-140 requires the TNC or TNC driver to maintain must be primary;

3. allowing the insurance policy, rather than recognizing that the driver is a TNC driver as required under PA 17-140, to instead recognize that the driver otherwise uses a vehicle to transport passengers for compensation; and

4. eliminating a provision that would have required a TNC's insurance policy to defend a claim when the company's and driver's insurance policy disagreed over who has the duty to defend.

The act also modifies taxi marking requirements by allowing rooftop lights and other required markings (e.g., a taxi company phone number) to be removable. Under prior law, lights and other markings had to be permanently attached to the taxi. It also eliminates a requirement that the taxi company phone number appear in three-inch type.

Additionally, the act requires the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) commissioner to consult with the Department of Transportation (DOT) commissioner before adopting regulations on rooftop lights. However, it does not appear that DMV has jurisdiction over taxis' rooftop lights. Existing DOT regulations set taxi identification requirements, including those for rooftop lights (Conn. Agencies Regs. § 13-96-44). (PA 17-140 also directs the DOT commissioner to submit to the Regulations Review Committee regulations on taxi appearance, identification, and markings by October 1, 2018.)

EFFECTIVE DATE: January 1, 2018, except that the taxi marking provision is effective October 1, 2017