COLUMBIA, S.C. — The Samantha Josephson Ridesharing Safety Act passed the South Carolina House on Tuesday with overwhelming support.
Josephson was killed in March after allegedly getting in a car she thought was her Uber.
Representatives Micah Caskey, (R) Lexington, and Seth Rose, (D) Richland, said they were pleased with the vote.
“It was great to see the House of Representatives step up to do what we can do to make the rider experience better for anybody that's using a ride-share service, Uber, Lyft, so it's a good day, a good day that we were able to move this legislation forward,” Caskey said.
The bill would require every rideshare driver in the state to put an illuminated logo visible in the car while on duty.
But, Caskey and Rose said it's just one step people can take to be safer.
“First of all, everyone needs to be clear that the hashtag 'what's my name' campaign is the most important thing you can possibly due to ensure that you're safe. What we did here today is take a legislative step forward to help people see what might be their ride,” Caskey added.
An amendment, introduced by Spartanburg Representative Mike Forrester (R), would have required background and fingerprint checks on drivers through SLED and the FBI. But, the amendment was killed on the floor.
The original bill will be sent to the Senate for review with no amendments.
“I would love to see the Senate take this up as quickly as possible and to pass the bill as it is,” Caskey said.
Caskey and Rose said it was not clear where Uber and Lyft lobbyists still stood on the bill, when it was first introduced Rose claimed Uber supported the bill.
