Ride-hailing companies Uber and Lyft have officially launched in Las Vegas, following yesterday’s approval of their permits by the Nevada Transportation Authority.
Uber and Lyft Are Live in Vegas
Both services decided to launch without the blessing of the local county government.
Aneese / iStock
Local reporters thought that both services would wait for certification from Clark County, which includes Las Vegas, before launching. The county wanted to create a business license program to which Uber and Lyft would have to apply before they could operate in the area.
But lawyers from the state government, which passed ride-hailing regulations in May, issued a legal opinion overruling Clark County. With state backing, Uber and Lyft decided to launch without the local government’s blessing.
Uber also launched in Reno, but Lyft is waiting to reach that city. Neither service is yet available at Las Vegas’ McCarran International Airport, but both have applied for permits.
As we discussed yesterday, moving into Las Vegas is a major win for the ride-hailing industry. It was one of the last big tourist destinations in the United States to ban the services.
This article originally appeared on Recode.net.
