SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio taxi drivers gathered at San Antonio International Airport across from the Taxicab Transportation Center Tuesday to bring attention to what they said is a disparity in regulation between the taxicab industry and services provided by Uber and Lyft.
Multiple organizations including taxi industry leaders, economic security advocates, and the local small business cab community held a press conference Tuesday morning to speak against Uber and Lyft’s corporate control. The taxi drivers of San Antonio gathered to ask City Council not to deregulate public safety rules that protect residents and tourists.
Some taxi drivers were seen in downtown San Antonio with signs like "Fingerprint Uber" in the windows of their cabs. One Uber driver posted on Facebook a picture of a cab they saw.
According to a press release, the drivers are protesting because the deregulation of these ride hail services introduces issues of public safety and violence against women. Issues surrounding an unlimited fleet of vehicles that are not taxed detract the focus from mass transit, exacerbate San Antonio's air quality problem, and lower wages to that of 1995 levels, according to the group.
San Antonio has Chapter 33 of the Municipal Code that requires city approved background checks with fingerprinting. The press release states that Uber and Lyft have been exempted from all the rules in Chapter 33.
