Walker signs ride-hailing bill in time for sponsor’s Uber solstice party

(Lyft Press Kit)

Uber and Lyft have arrived in Alaska.

Gov. Bill Walker signed legislation today legalizing the operation of the ride-hailing services throughout Alaska. With an immediate effective date on the bill, rides are already available in Anchorage, Fairbanks and Juneau this afternoon.

The bill was signed in front of a media spray (no questions about the budget, please) in Juneau this afternoon, where sponsors Rep. Adam Wool, D-Fairbanks, and Sen. Mia Costello, R-Anchorage, shared a celebratory high-five.

That’s good news for Wool, who was planning a solstice/Uber launch party at the Blue Loon next Wednesday.

The signing comes after a few days of speculation on whether Gov. Bill Walker would sign the bill. Juneau and the Alaska Municipal League asked Walker to tap the brakes on the bill, but talk for the last few days suggested he planned on signing it. You won’t be able to take them to Juneau’s Mendenhall Glacier.

The Legislature may not be able to agree on a budget, but at least Alaskans can now hail a ride with a smart phone.

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