Uber lays out infrastructure principles

Uber laid out a set of principles Monday that it hopes the Trump administration will address in its promised infrastructure proposal.

The ride-sharing company wants the government to ramp up investments in improving the nation’s roads and public transportation systems. Uber’s list comes as the White House has been promising to release its infrastructure proposal as soon as this month and reflects the company’s efforts to establish more of a presence in Washington.

“We are largely regulated at the state level. We operate at the local level, but we understand how important the role of the federal government is to the maintenance and modernization of our nation’s infrastructure,” Danielle Burr, Uber’s head of federal affairs, told The Hill.

{mosads}Burr says that fixing the country’s roads will make it easier for the company to develop its driverless cars, which rely on lane stripes and roadsides for navigation and safety.

Uber also wants the government to include support for ride-sharing pilots and policies around the country, arguing that it would “reduce traffic congestion, facilitate economic opportunity, and improve the quality of living in our communities.”

The company also wants to see an infrastructure proposal that would encourage the development of new technologies in transportation, like driverless cars.

“Empowering pilot programs that plan for the future and promoting safe operational research that utilizes real world testing will help bring the tremendous safety and mobility benefits of these technologies to the public sooner,” the proposal reads.

Trump is expected to announce his $1.7 trillion infrastructure package in the coming weeks, and he’s hinted at discussing the plan in his State of the Union address on Tuesday.