Will Lyft return to Kansas City now that Uber says it’s leaving?

Last Thursday, the Kansas City, Missouri, City Council approved a revised set of rules and regulations for so-called transportation-network companies (“TNCs”) like Uber and Lyft. The intent was to make the city more friendly to such companies. But Uber says the amendments do not go far enough, and it is threatening to leave town as a result. 

Before the vote, both Mayor Sly James and Mayor Pro Tem Cindy Circo suggested that the changes would allow Lyft to resume operations in Kansas City. The company shut down operations in KC last year, after the city filed suit against it alleging that it was operating illegally in the city. That litigation was recently granted a stay in federal court while the city worked to revise the TNC ordinance.  

So do the new rules meet Lyft’s standards? 

“We appreciate the work done by the Mayor and the City Council to revisit the TNC ordinance,” Chelsea Wilson, a Lyft spokeswoman, tells The Pitch. “We are taking a hard look to determine whether or not we can operate in the city under these revised rules.”

Hmm.

James indicated on Thursday that the reason Uber won’t engage in negotiations with the city is because Uber is awaiting the outcome of legislation in Jefferson City, introduced by state Sen. (and 2016 attorney general candidate) Kurt Schaefer, that would prevent Missouri cities from taxing or requiring licenses for TNC drivers — a move that, in theory, would negate the council vote last Thursday. 

Lyft may well be playing the same waiting game.