Uber app hopes to take on one million female drivers by 2020

Portland, Oregon set to trial Uber. Image by Viaggio Routard / CC BY 2.0

The city council in Portland, OR, has given approval to a four-month test period allowing car-sharing services like Uber and Lyft to operate in the city. The approval came through by a narrow margin, with the council spending months deciding the matter and finally issuing an approval in a 3-2 vote. In order to operate during the test period, Uber had to agree to several provisions such as guaranteeing service to handicapped patrons and mandating liability insurance for its drivers. The city council also loosened rules applied to traditional taxi services, allowing cab companies to set fares without regulation and hire as many drivers as necessary. Read more: nytimes.com