The California Public Utilities Commission wanted Uber to register itself as a limo company or, technically, as a “charter party carrier,” but Uber’s lawyers believed the company could make the case that it was merely an intermediary between drivers and riders, not an actual fleet operator. It was as much a limo company as Orbitz or Expedia were airlines, they argued. In a follow-up ruling in late 2010, the PUC agreed, and Uber never stopped operating. To the consternation of Christiane Hayashi, who was trying and failing to get the city attorney’s office to give her authority to regulate the
...more
