Hailing a cab downtown might be a difficult task Tuesday morning as some taxi drivers stage a demonstration against popular ride-sharing services.
Cabdrivers will be driving in and around the Loop on Tuesday, but they will not pick up passengers from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. as a form of protest, said Rocky Orok, a board member of the United Taxidrivers Community Council.
RELATED: Uber finally gets city license after safety guarantees
Cabdrivers plan to rally from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. in front of City Hall, and mayoral candidates have been invited to attend, Orok said.
“We want the [taxi] industry to be deregulated just like the ride-share industry so there’s healthy competition,” said Orok, who has driven a cab in Chicago for more than 20 years.
“We just want a level playing field,” he said.
Earlier this month, the council released a statement calling for mayoral candidates to address ride-sharing regulations that differ from rules governing cabdrivers and what they call the “decimation” of the taxi industry.
