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Taxi Cab 'Fairness Ordinance' OKd by Committee, Would Reduce Driver Fines

By Ted Cox | December 9, 2014 4:34pm
 Cabbie Cheryl Miller said taxi drivers are subjected to arbitrary fines for "discourteous behavior."
Cabbie Cheryl Miller said taxi drivers are subjected to arbitrary fines for "discourteous behavior."
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DNAinfo/Ted Cox

CITY HALL — Cabbies would see fines reduced under a Taxi Cab Driver Fairness Ordinance passed Tuesday by a joint City Council committee in a bid to "level the playing field" with ride-sharing drivers.

The proposal, which cleared a combined meeting of the Transportation and License committees, lowers cab lease rates, cuts maximum fines from $1,000 to $400, trims credit card fees, allows sharing ad revenue on taxi signs and sets up a task force to promote additional reforms.

"This ordinance provides economic relief and at the same time does not place a burden on consumers," said Tracey Abman, a union organizer who said she has 1,000 Chicago cabbies registered with a new organization called Cab Drivers United.

The ordinance originally put forth by Mayor Rahm Emanuel was tweaked over the last couple of months so that it was "not overly burdensome, but adequately protects the public interest," said Maria Guerra Lapacek, commissioner of the Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection. She said it would benefit all of the city's 12,000 licensed cabbies.

"Everybody has given and taken a little bit to bring us where we are today," said Ald. Anthony Beale (9th), chairman of the Transportation Committee. "It's not perfect. But it's definitely a huge step in the right direction."

According to Abman, associate director of an American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union local, it would save the average Chicago cabbie up to $8,000 a year.

Beale said it would "put more more money in the pockets of our drivers," which drew cheers from cabbies in the gallery.

"I was appalled that the fines were up to $1,000," said Ald. James Cappleman (46th), adding that the new $400 maximum was "too high."

"This is way, way overdue," said Ald. Willie Cochran (20th), adding that "one violation kills their day's profit."

Other aldermen pointed out it reduced business fines associated with the taxi industry, not traffic violations.

The ordinance also calls on the city to put out bids for what Guerra Lapacek called an "E-Hail for Taxi app" that will also streamline credit-card payments as with ride-sharing companies like Uber.

Abman said taxi drivers were still pushing for "as rigorous a check" for ride-sharing drivers as what cabbies go through. "We want to make sure the taxi industry stays competitive," she added. Asked if she were organizing a union under Cab Drivers United, she said only, "We are building an organization," but taxi drivers said they were eager to unionize.

Fayez Khozindar, head of the United Taxidrivers Community Council that has previously claimed to be the closest thing the city has to a cabbies' union, said it was "a small step" toward taxi reform, but saved his bitterest charges for Uber.

"It is good that Uber is such a greedy and nasty company, because they are doing much of our work for us with their business practices," he said.

Uber did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Taxi driver Cheryl Miller said the reforms were long overdue. She testified one taxi driver she knew took issue with a Chicago Police officer giving him a ticket for running a red light. He contested the fine and won when video showed he crossed under the yellow light, but then was fined $250 under existing taxi regulations for "discourteous conduct" for talking back to a police officer at all.

The ordinance passed with little if any opposition among aldermen and heads to the full City Council for passage Wednesday.