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Medford may be Uber's next stop Thursday Jun 22, 2017 at 5:36 PM Jun 22, 2017 at 5:57 PM Damian Mann Mail Tribune @reporterdm Uber, the popular international ride-sharing company, may soon be picking up fares in Medford. "The city has received information from Uber saying that they might see Medford as a potential destination," Councilor Kevin Stine said Thursday. As a result the council plans to meet at noon, June 29, for a study session to consider a possible ordinance, though a decision will be made at a later time. The city doesn't have any regulations on the books that would permit ride-sharing companies to operate here. A proposed ordinance would allow transportation companies such as Uber or Lyft to do business in the city. Uber or Lyft drivers would be required to submit the same background check requirements as taxi drivers. Uber works by downloading an app to a smartphone and then putting in a request for a driver. In the app, customers can see how close their driver is and how long it will take before being picked up. Stine said he expects the council to receive complaints from local taxi companies. In both Portland and Eugene, the ride-sharing companies met with opposition. According to the Register-Guard, Uber declined to set up service in Eugene and Springfield after an unsuccessful challenge to local rules. Portland has also tangled with Uber. In March, the city received information that Uber had used software to evade city taxi regulators, and Portland City Council issued a legislative subpoena to the company to gather more information. The Portland action stemmed from revelations in March that Uber had used Greyball software to evade city regulators. Uber began operating in Portland prior to the city’s formal approval, setting off a chain reaction that included city regulators citing Uber drivers. The Greyball program helped the company avoid those regulators, according to a March story in the New York Times. After arriving at a destination, an Uber passenger's fare is automatically charged to a credit card linked to an account set up by the passenger. According to Uber's website, some cities allow customers to pay in cash. Another feature of both Lyft and Uber is the ability to rate drivers, and drivers are also asked to rate riders. — Reach reporter Damian Mann at 541-776-4476 or [email protected]. Follow him on www.twitter.com/reporterdm.