From a comment by Rudy Ferrara:

I am an uber drive Uber helps supplement my fixed income. I’ve experienced age discrimination in other jobs and it scares me to think i’d have to compete with others more than half my age should this bill pass. I’d also lose the flexibility of choosing my work hours,etc. It would be devastating to many other rideshare drivers who may or may not also be in their twilight years.

Aside from myself i’d like to address a couple other issues ie drivers and passengers.

uber/lyft Drivers vs taxis:

The sponsor of this bill has no experience as a rideshare driver. She would never drive to a questionable neighborhood as taxis are notorious at never picking up dropping off passengers in these areas of chicago. She doesn’t understand the costs involved for rideshare drivers. I would need to make $30 an hour just to clear $20 due to maintenance especially driving on terrible chicago pothole filled roads. Plus train and traffic holdups. Weather. Plus gas etc. I take home $10-$15 an hour BEFORE TAXES.

If you add in potential TNC restrictions would drive uber (me for sure) out of the market. Uber/lyft are required to have $1million insurance to cover passengers. My passengers feel safe and have told me of the horror stories of taking buses or trains vs my taking them safely to their homes from point A to point B. is worth a few extra dollars to them. The argument of passengers only having safety issues doesn’t hold water when you consider drivers are also at risk. Uber documents riders were the accused party in 43% of the company’s sexual assault claims. Also uber/lyft drivers use their own vehicles. Add that to the above list of costs/risks we uber drivers face and the question is is $10-$15 an hour worth it? Apparently so as we uber drivers love the work hour flexibility.

Uber/lyft passengers:

In my five years of picking up/dropping off hundreds of chicagoland passengers with both uber and lyft i’ve never had one complaint of endangering anyone especially female passengers which is HB 2231’s main focus which TNC will supposedly prevent/minimize. Uber will immediately deactivate me if any woman complained about any misbehavior on my part. I could then appeal this decision and provide evidence of the passenger just venting anger on myself. Is why uber drivers use webcams to support their position. If you look at the statistics uber is safer than taxis for both assault and deaths in hundreds of millions of trips. And also compared nationally. I undergo periodic background checks, and continual screening as well as having to provide vehicle maintenance checks every six months, as well as maintaining adequate insurance.

TNC will eliminate thousands of uber lyft drivers versus much fewer taxis staying on the road will place the poorer less advantaged out of reach of rideshare as costs will go through the roof. Uber is accused of surge pricing in certain areas based on supply and demand. Taxis also have their own form of surge pricing by adjusting base prices. The below link is an excellent overview of uber vs taxi costs. The rich will get richer or at least have their own way with deeper pockets, seems this bill will profit. I suggest the sponsor of HB2231 put herself in an uber drivers shoes (which will never happen). I’m sure she’d have second thoughts.

Please do not pass HB2231

Thank you,

rudy ferrara

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State Rep. Suzanne Ness is a co-sponsor of the bill.