Now’s the time to start a cab company, because the Portland Bureau of Transportation’s Private For-Hire Transportation Review Board—which used to pick and choose which fledgling cab companies got to play with the big boys—is accepting anything on wheels. OK, that’s a total exaggeration. There are still rules, and applicants have to meet minimum code […]
Shelby R. King
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Your Ride’s Here
Pilot Program Has Equal-Access Advocates and Cab Companies Uber Mad
Pilot program has equal-access advocates and cab companies uber mad.
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Zoning Change Approved for Giant Propane Tank in N. Portland
Portland Planning and Sustainability commissioners voted tonight, 6-4, to approve a zoning change necessary for a Canadian company to build a propane storage and export facility in North Portland. Protestors packed the house and 97 people waited, mostly patiently, to testify mostly against a $500 million giant propane tank that Commissioner Chris Smith said would […]
Posted inTransportation
Uber Ponies Up $67K to Resume Portland Ride-Sharing Service
Looks like Uber is prepping to play by Portland’s rules—at least for now. The ride-sharing company on March 26 paid $67,750 in fines to the city, according to Dylan Rivera, a spokesman for the Bureau of Transportation. The city levied the fines in December, after Uber launched service without the city’s permission. “We believe the […]
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Uber Opts To “Pause Operations” In Eugene, But Promises “We’ll Be Back”
Uber—a San Francisco-based ride-sharing company waiting to resume Portland service—on Sunday stopped offering rides in Eugene, saying city regulations forced the company to “pause operations.” “When the Eugene City Council voted to apply outdated code to Transportation Network Companies like Uber, they created a regulatory climate that makes it impossible for the small businesses that […]
Posted inNewsblast!
Good morning, News: A Lunar Eclipse, Prison for Revenge Porn Sleaze, and Racist Cops
There was a lunar eclipse overnight, and Portlanders who were awake a lot later than me got about an hour to see it before clouds covered it up. But don’t despair! The Oregonian has pictures here. Pembina Pipleine Corp., a Canadian company that wants to build a $500 million propane export terminal at the Port […]
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No Caps on Cabs, No Policy on Pricing: A Brave New World Awaits Portland’s For-Hire Transportation Industry
Portland’s tightly regulated cab industry is about to become a free-for-all. The city’s Private For-Hire Innovation Task Force—tasked earlier this year with crafting new rules for a fast-changing market—on Thursday approved a final set of recommendations it will present to city council on April 9. But some details still need to be worked out. The […]
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Good morning, News: Caballero Strikes Again, Californians Can’t Shower, and 2,660 Selfies
Portland sucks at tracking and selling it’s property, according to pulls-no-punches City Auditor Mary Hull Caballero. The Portland Tribune reports that Caballero’s recent audit states the city “lacks a comprehensive inventory of city-owned properties and is not periodically reviewing its real estate holdings.” This tongue-lashing comes weeks after Caballero called out Mayor Charlie Hales for […]
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Violators Will Be Prosecuted
Portland’s Finally Enforcing Restraining Orders. Will We Keep It Up?
Cops ask for cash to bust domestic abusers with guns.
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Oregon’s New School Budget: More, but Not Nearly Enough?
Oregon schools are finally getting free lunches for low-income students and full-day kindergarten for everyone, but will $7 billion be enough to fully fund K-12 education? The Oregon House of Representatives on Tuesday passed in a party-line vote House Bill 5017, funding Oregon K-12 schools with $7.255 billion for the 2015-17 biennium. Two notable investments—funding […]
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Good Morning, News: Willie Nelson’s Weed, A Possibly-Fake California Kidnapping, And Really Big Roller Coasters
Thankfully, the pink chickens found yesterday on Portland’s waterfront weren’t dyed via in-egg injection. Owner Bruce Whitman says he used beet juice and Kool-Aid to achieve the shade. Save the bees! The Oregon Legislature is considering House Bill 2589, which would ban a type of pesticides blamed for bee die-offs. But experts warn a blanket […]
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Weigh In Before April 10 on the City’s Draft 2015 Climate Action Plan
It’s time to update Portland’s Climate Action Plan, and the Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability wants your comments and ideas. The city is working on an update to their Climate Action Plan, the overarching goal of which is to achieve a 40 percent reduction in carbon emissions (compared to 1993 levels) by 2030, and […]