Bringing government travel into the 21st century
By Congressman Will Hurd
Washington, D.C. – This week, Congressmen Will Hurd (R-TX) and Seth Moulton (D-MA) introduced the Government Travel Modernization Act to allow government employees to utilize ridesharing apps, such as Uber and Lyft, and bikeshare programs for official business. The option to summon a ride via smartphone gives millions of federal employees greater flexibility, saves taxpayer dollars, and brings government travel into the 21st Century.
“The federal government is notoriously behind-the-times with antiquated policies that stifle innovation and 21st Century competition. The result is a government that rewards outdated technology and pays more than it should for basic services,” said Rep. Hurd, who chairs the House Subcommittee on IT, and has been an advocate for modernizing federal IT and embracing new technology. “This bill finally allows federal employees to catch up with the private sector and moves the needle toward a more innovative and responsive government.”
“Innovative modes of transportation like Uber, Lyft, and bikeshare have improved the way we travel, yet currently, federal employees are not able to take full advantage of these cost-effective options for official travel,” said Rep. Moulton. “This bipartisan bill will change that for the thousands of federal employees both in Washington and in Massachusetts. This bill seeks to bring innovation into how government functions by utilizing the new technology that is available to us.”
“Ridesharing continues to grow as an integral part of this country’s transportation ecosystem,” said David Baga, Chief Business Officer of Lyft. “As we see more and more business travelers choose cost-effective services like Lyft, the introduction of this bill is an important step in bringing modern transportation options to federal employees.
“Thank you to the sponsors for putting forth this legislation that will make it easier and more affordable for thousands of federal employees to travel for work,” Niki Christoff, Head of Federal Affairs for Uber. “We are committed to providing reliable transportation at the push of a button for everyone, everywhere and we’re hopeful that with this legislation, Uber, and all ridesharing options, will be able to provide that service to those working in the federal government.”
