Uber and Lyft Ask Judge to Block Release of Ride-Hailing Data

Uber and Lyft are seeking court orders to keep secret certain information about how well its complying with city of Portland regulations on, for example, serving disabled passengers.

Last month, Multnomah County District Attorney Rod Underhill ordered the city of Portland to comply with a public records request from The Oregonian to turn over records that showed the number of rides provided by Uber, Lyft and other ride-sharing companies since May 1, 2015; how many wheelchair-accessible vehicle services Uber and Lyft provided, canceled and completed by month; and average monthly wait times for UberWAV, the wheelchair accessible vehicles.

But before the city could turn over the records, Uber and Lyft sought temporary restraining orders blocking release of the information, public records show. A Multnomah County Circuit Court judge granted those temporary orders.

Uber and Lyft argue in court documents that the numbers The Oregonian seeks amount to trade secrets that aren't subject to disclosure under Oregon public records law. "Competitors would derive economic value if they obtained this information," an Uber attorney writes in court records.

Exemptions in the records law do allow some business information to remain confidential.

Underhill, however, argued in his public records order on Sept. 23 that the public interest in this information outweighed the company's interests in secrecy.

The parties will be in Multnomah County Circuit Court on Nov. 4 to argue their sides.

Dylan Rivera, a spokesman for the Portland Bureau of Transportation, says the city is staying neutral in the dispute.

"At this point the city is merely the custodian of the records and will comply with whatever order the court enters," Rivera writes in an email.

Willamette Week