Uber, Lyft vehicles must have commercial plates: California

Sacramento

PRIVATE drivers for ride-sharing companies such as Uber Technologies Inc and Lyft Inc must possess a commercial licence plate to operate in California under an 80-year-old law or face getting a citation, the state said.

The California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) released a notice on Jan 5 saying that a 1935 law requires any vehicle used to transport a person for hire must possess a commercial plate. The agency said that it sent the reminder because the companies had received "inconsistent information about the rules". Uber, in a statement on Friday, said California's Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has ruled that only a personal registration is needed and that a law signed by Governor Jerry Brown last year affirmed that decision.