The end of Uber in Chicago? Ordinance would require fingerprinting of rideshare drivers and limit surge pricing

Illinois Policy Institute reports:

A proposed crackdown on ridesharing passed out of a Chicago City Council committee Aug. 30, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. The ordinance would seek to cut back on “surge pricing” a practice by ridesharing services, such as Uber and Lyft, in which fares go up when demand rises. The proposal would also require drivers to be fingerprinted and photographed.

Alderman Anthony Beale, 9th Ward, longtime ridesharing opponent and chairman of the Committee on Transportation and Public Way, pushed the ordinance through committee, according to the Sun-Times. The move came despite the fact a surge-pricing study previously commissioned by the Transportation Committee has not yet concluded.

This is not the first time Beale has gone after ridesharing. In June 2016, Beale and other aldermen proposed a slew of similar regulations, which included city-overseen fingerprinting of drivers and vehicle checks and mandating that drivers obtain chauffeur’s licenses. Uber and Lyft protested the regulations and warned that if implemented, the rules would cause the ridesharing giants to leave Chicago.

Will Chicago end Uber? Stay tuned.