Mayor Emanuel Calls For New, Tighter Regulations On Taxis

CHICAGO (CBS) — Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Monday announced plans for a set of reforms to the taxi industry that will improve vehicles and regulate cab drivers.

The mayor announced the reforms with Ald. Anthony Beale (9th), chairman of the City Council Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and city Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection Commissioner Rosemary Krimbel. He said the changes are necessary to bring the city’s taxi industry into the 21st century with vehicle regulations and driver oversight.

As CBS 2′s Pam Zekman reports, the reforms, which touch all aspects of the industry, were largely prompted by a CBS 2 investigation of dangerous drivers.

“Whether it’s making sure the fleet is more fuel-efficient, making sure that a passenger can swipe their own credit card, making sure that taxicabs have a GPS system so you know where the location is and where the closest taxi is, as well as the training, the safety of the drivers – that whole experience needs to be revamped,” Emanuel said.

LISTEN: WBBM Newsradio Political Editor Craig Dellimore reports

Reforms to modernize the taxi industry are long overdue, Emanuel said "

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