Mayoral candidate weighs in on ride-share debate

Mike Villarreal asks council to hold off voting against Uber, Lyft

SAN ANTONIO – Wednesday morning, mayoral candidate Mike Villarreal weighed in on the debate over transportation network companies.

With the City Council expected to decide Thursday whether TNCs like Uber and Lyft can legally operate in San Antonio, Villarreal asked his potential colleagues to hold off voting for any regulations that would would be a barrier to them entering the San Antonio market.

"We do not want to be the only major city in Texas that does not allow for ride-share," Villarreal said.

But while Villarreal's opinion is only just that, he'll have no chance to vote on Thursday.

He's still lending his voice to the conversation, which has been dominated by concerns over public safety and fairness.

"We can be open to technical innovations and we can ensure for public safety," he said. "Other cities have struck a balance."

The city continues to take fire from all sides on the issue.

Uber recently threatened to pull out of San Antonio if new policies were adopted, and on Wednesday, local cab companies took out a full-page ad blasting Uber for skirting the law and its unwillingness to pay to play.

Villarreal says the local cab industry has had too much influence.

"We cannot allow the taxi cab industry to have monopoly control over rides in San Antonio," he said.