Wyoming driver challenges California rideshare residency requirement

A new federal lawsuit in the Northern District of California challenges law that prevents out-of-state residents from driving for rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft within the state, naming California Public Utilities Commission President Alice Busching Reynolds as defendant.

"The state's residency requirement for rideshare driving denies nonresidents the fundamental right to practice their occupation on equal terms," Pacific Legal Foundation attorney Samantha Romero said in a news release on Wednesday. "Simply put, it's discriminatory and unconstitutional."

Plaintiff Ted Maack, who lived in California for 56 years before moving to Wyoming in 2022, is represented by Pacific Legal Foundation attorneys Romero and Christian G. Townsend in Arlington, Virgina, as well as Anastasia P. Boden in Sacramento.

Maack, a self-employed retiree with a Wyoming commercial driver's license, regularly returns to California to visit his aging mother and monitor property he owns in the North Bay, according to the complaint. Maack v. Alice Busching Reynolds, 3:25-cv-06860 (N.D. Cal., filed Aug. 13, 2025).

"For Mr. Maack, driving is his way of life," the complaint read. "When in California, he wants to be able to drive for rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft to supplement his income. And as a commercial driver for over 25 years with an immaculate driving record, he is qualified to do so. However, California law bars Mr. Maack from working as a rideshare driver based solely on his residency."

The lawsuit argues that the residency requirement creates unconstitutional barriers against nonresidents and denies them the fundamental right to practice their occupation on equal terms.

"Mr. Maack is able to drive for certain delivery apps such as Roadie and the Walmart delivery app when in California. He is even qualified and able to deliver lawn tractors, which require a utility trailer, through the Roadie delivery app in California. But not to drive as a rideshare driver," the complaint said.

Representatives for the state Public Utilities Commission did not respond to phoned or emailed requests for comment by press time on Wednesday.