San Francisco has filed a scathing legal critique with California regulators about the concept of renting vehicles for drivers with ride-hailing companies like Uber and Lyft, which was made public this week.

In the critique, The City argues safety measures and more abundant insurance should be required of drivers who drive commercial vehicles — and not personal ones — for ride-hailing companies.

The critique was released as Lyft also this week announced the expansion of its rental service Express Drive in partnership with General Motors, which will allow thousands of Lyft drivers to rent cars at a San Francisco “hub” for “as little as $0” to drive and pick up passengers starting in early August, according to Lyft.

More than 8,000 people in San Francisco alone have applied to drive with Lyft this year but were unable to because they lacked qualifying vehicles, according to Lyft.

“Now there’s an option for them,” said Mihir Gandhi, general manager of Lyft’s Northern California operations.

SFMTA’s sharp critique of commercial vehicle use for Lyft and Uber was made in a recent filing to the California Public Utilities Commission, which regulates the ride-hail companies, which are legally known as transportation network companies (or TNCs) in California.

SFMTA wrote that when Lyft and Uber first launched in California, “They argued that their ‘driver partners’ simply ‘shared’ their vehicles … while taxicab and limousine drivers were full time ‘professionals.’”

The CPUC is now considering “Phase III” of its new regulations for Lyft, Uber and other transportation network companies in California, mainly focused on the legality of commercial vehicles for ride-hail usage.

These rental and lease programs “illustrate the erosion of any distinction that may have existed” between ride-hail companies and for-hire drivers, like taxis or limousines, the SFMTA wrote.

Ride-hail drivers have publicly said the depreciation of their personal cars while on the road can be problematic. “Gough Street isn’t exactly easy on transmissions,” Gandhi said, and car rentals also ensure safer, cleaner vehicles.

Hertz also has a rental car partnership with Lyft that launched in San Francisco about a month ago.

Express Drive is available in Baltimore, Boston, Chicago and Washington D.C, according to Lyft. The foray into San Francisco will be its first California launch.

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