Cops In Miami Are Running A Sting To Catch Lyft Drivers
One driver, Juan Arango, picked up an undercover cop on his first ride and was pulled over shortly after dropping the passenger off. His car was then towed. The same thing happened to another Lyft driver shortly after.
"I trusted that if the service was working in Miami, it was allowed," Arango told Miami Herald.
Lyft opened in Miami two weeks ago. Uber recently launched its lower-end service, UberX, there but their drivers haven't been fined or towed yet. So far, three Lyft drivers have reportedly been caught by Miami-Dade county police.
From Miami Herald:
The county had been fining Lyft drivers up to $2,000 each for failing to get a chauffeur registration and for operating a for-hire vehicle without a valid for-hire license - both requirements for cabbies and limo operators. Impounding Lyft drivers' vehicles represents a significant step toward more serious penalties allowed - but not required - under the county's legal code.
Lyft has paid for their drivers to get their cars back, cover the $2,000 fine, and for a lawyer to fight the charges.