CHICAGO — It wasn't Chicago's fights against ride-sharing companies like Uber and Lyft that earned it a "see me" in a recent study from a Washington think tank. It's the way the city manages its taxi fleet.
Public policy institute R Street gave the city a C+ in a recent report, dubbed Ridescore, that graded cities on how friendly they are to transportation network companies and other livery services. It looked at 50 cities and the way they regulate transportation companies, from taxis to limo services and the insurgent rideshare companies.
The city earned decent marks when it comes to limos and ride-sharing companies, despite recent public battles over regulation. R Street gave the city a B for both.
But it's the city's approach to taxis that brought down its overall score, earning a D. Its reliance on the medallion system — more than 6,900 medallions have been issued in Chicago, according to the report — hurt its overall grade.
All of the cities studied started with a base rate of 90 before points were added or deducted depending on its transportation policies.
When it comes to ride-sharing services — which the report calls transportation network companies — Chicago scored an 86. Four cities — Colorado Springs, Denver, Minneapolis and Seattle — had the highest score, 100. Kansas City and Omaha had the lowest, 35.
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