After voters in Austin, Texas, rejected a proposal for loosened regulations on ride-hailing apps, both Uber and Lyft have announced they will be "pausing" operations in the city.
In late 2015, Austin's City Council approved an ordinance requiring companies like Uber and Lyft to be regulated like taxis. That meant, among other things, drivers would have to be fingerprinted as part of a background check.
Uber and Lyft, in response, pushed a ballot proposal asking voters to choose between that city ordinance and a looser statewide law.
NPR's John Burnett reports that the two companies spent $8 million to promote their stance on Proposal 1 — a record for Austin ballot proposals. "Despite spending what amounted to $200 on each vote in their favor, Uber and Lyft lost by 44 to 56," John says.
Before the vote on Saturday, Uber and Lyft had threatened to pull out of Austin, a market John describes as "lucrative."