Uber, the startup company that revolutionized the method of requesting a limo or cab from your iPhone, is gearing up for New Year’s Eve — its biggest night of the year — while preparing itself for a fight against regulatory challenges in the year ahead that could eliminate its black car service in the Windy City.
Allen Penn, Uber general manager in Chicago, says that about 10-thousand people currently use Uber here. Last fall, the company began a petition drive and amassed six-thousand signatures to battle a proposed regulatory overhaul by the Department of Business Affairs & Consumer Protection (BACP) which could, potentially, hobble Uber’s black car service. The signatures were sent to BACP Commissioner Rosemary Krimble, Mayor Rahm Emanuel, and city aldermen.
Uber faces regulatory challenges in several other cities, as well, as the company continues to scale and innovate. ❒
