California DMV issued an advisory that any time a car transports people for compensation, the car requires a commercial registration. Today the Ubers and Lyfts of California do not have commercial registration for their peer-to-peer ride-sharing.
Lyft responded by explaining that treating ride share companies like taxis undermines rules established by the California Utilities Commission.
In 2013 Governor Brown signed a compromise measure on insurance coverage required by ride share. Assembly Bill 2293. Sacramento Bee