Experts: Taxi operators face uphill battle in suit

The Boston Herald reports:

A lawsuit filed by taxi owners claiming Boston and state officials are violating their rights by allowing ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft to skirt regulations they must follow faces an uphill battle, legal experts say.

“I think they would have a very difficult time proving they were being treated unequally,” said Janice Griffith, a law professor at Suffolk University. “It’s very difficult to overturn regulations that a state makes.”

The lawsuit, filed in federal court on Friday, claims Boston and the state are unfairly requiring taxi owners to purchase expensive medallions while allowing Uber and Lyft to operate without following the same regulations. The taxi owners claim the two-tier system is causing them economic harm.

A spokeswoman for Mayor Martin J. Walsh yesterday said they had yet to see the lawsuit and had no comment.

Griffith said the defendants — including Boston, the state Department of Public Utilities and state Department of Transportation — would only have to show there is a reason to treat the two categories differently.

The court likely would not look favorably on the suit if “there’s any reasonable basis or rational basis for the different treatment between taxis and ride-sharing service,” she said.

The taxi monopoly is upset.