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Ahead of Election Day, Lyft Tells Drivers It Will Shut Down Monday If Prop 1 Fails

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Ride-hailing service Lyft notified drivers this afternoon that it would shut down operations in Austin at 5 a.m. Monday if voters reject Proposition 1.

If the measure fails, requirements for fingerprint-based background checks for ride-hailing drivers would be phased in over the next year. Both Uber and Lyft have said they will not operate under those requirements, insisting their own background checks and GPS tracking technology make the service safe. 

In a text message this afternoon, Lyft's Austin general manager, Aaron Fox, informed drivers that that company would cease operations Monday morning if the ballot proposition is rejected.

Through their political action committee, Ridesharing Works for Austin, Lyft and Uber have spent a combined $8.5 million campaigning for Prop 1's passage. 

Almost 58,000 Austinites voted early in the Proposition 1 election. Election Day is Saturday. For more background on what exactly a "for" and "against" vote mean, check out our explainer here.

Matt Largey is the Projects Editor at KUT. Got a tip? Email him at mlargey@kut.org. Follow him on Twitter @mattlargey.
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