Data gathered by an informal taxicab task force in Hood River has found some increase in the available transportation options and their usage, but a number of City Councilors want to proceed toward allowing transportation network companies like Uber and Lyft to operate in the city.  Some councilors earlier in the year began pushing the issue in response to rising numbers of DUII cases in the area, and wanted to see an increase in ride options that local companies are unable to fill.  But Councilor Grant Polson pointed out the TNC’s don’t necessarily go through the background checks or abide by the same rules and regulations that are currently in the city’s taxi code, and attempts to reach out to those companies to learn their practices have been unanswered.  A member of the task force and taxi company owner Matt Barmann told the Council there was a hesitancy among the taxi businesses to invest with the possible increasing evidence of Uber in the area.