[Re: “Here Comes Trouble,” June 29]
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All of the cabbies are disturbed about the new policy of conditional renewal of chauffeur licenses that is linked to one call a day in an underserved neighborhood as outlined by the city. First of all, there are no underserved neighborhoods in the city of Chicago but neighborhoods or areas where cab demand is low and people may have to wait a little longer for the cab. So the phrase “underserved neighborhood” should be replaced with “low-demand neighborhood.” There are extra licenses being issued especially to serve these low-demand neighborhoods and cabs are clearly marked “neighborhood cab.” Even these few cabs are having hard times to make the ends meet by solely working in these areas and are now seen Near North, downtown, and at the airports. Why is the city imposing such an unfair one-call-a-day policy on the other thousands of cabbies when there is not enough business for these few cabs?
Otherwise, I recommend city pay $100 incentive bonus each week to every cabbie who picks up seven calls per week in the city’s outlined areas. I can assure you carrot-versus-stick approach will work more effectively. Please do not attach these conditions to the renewal of chauffeur licenses.
