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Legally, ride-sharing services avoid the regulations that govern for-hire businesses like taxicabs by forbidding drivers to solicit requests for passengers. If the business grows--and if there are some high-profile incidents--that could change. "It's a gray area," says Paul Angenend, an attorney specializing in transportation law. "If you ride-share 20 times a month, then you're in the for-hire business."
For now the best advice is the one your mother would give: Don't get into a car with perfect strangers, and if their driving makes you uncomfortable, ask them to drop you at the nearest bus or train station.