A new study finds American cities are enticed by the economic growth and services that "sharing economy" companies such as Airbnb, Uber and Lyft can offer. But officials are anxious about safety in a largely unregulated realm.
The National League of Cities released the findings Wednesday. They're drawn from survey responses from 245 leaders of American municipalities large and small.
Seventy-one percent of city leaders say they want to see the "sharing" sector grow. Yet 61 percent say they're concerned about the safety of using apps and websites that let everyday people rent out rooms, arrange car rides and provide other services to strangers. More than half the cities said they imposed no rules on "sharing" players.
Companies say they're safety-conscious contributors to cities' economies.
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