Influential alderman vows to help save a dying taxicab industry

Taxi passengers who pay with plastic would take a 50-cent-a-ride hit under a small measure of relief advanced Wednesday that could be a prelude to an even bigger rescue.

One day after cab drivers warned aldermen that Chicago's taxicab industry is "on the verge of collapse," the chairman of the City Council's Transportation Committee vowed to take dramatic steps to alter an "unlevel playing field" further tilted by letting ride-hailing companies make airport pick-ups.

"The taxi industry as it stands right now needs some help and some relief," said Ald. Anthony Beale (9th). "We need to find that common ground to get them some help and some relief."

Without more city help, "They may not die. But the industry that you see today may not be what we see tomorrow. When you look at the yards right now, they're full of cars that are not moving. They don't have people to drive them. We need to do something to get those cars back on the street."

To stop the bleeding that has allowed Uber to siphon business away from cabs, some aldermen want to require ride-hailing drivers to get a city chauffeur's license, just like cabdrivers are required to do.

For the full story, click here.