Representatives of the taxicab industry are asking the New Orleans City Council this week to create a more even playing field between taxis and ride shares in advance of Super Bowl 2025. Taxicab industry spokesperson Jason Coleman is on the Council’s Consent Agenda Thursday, November 21, to question why the Cantrell administration has failed to collect or adjudicate hundreds of violations racked up by Uber Technologies. Whenever a cabbie receives a citation his or her license is automatically revoked without a due process hearing. The issue must be resolved and the fine paid before the driver can return to work.
“For almost 8 years, the City of New Orleans has treated us like second-class citizens,” said Jason Coleman of Coleman Cabs. “Taxi cab drivers are the epitome of small business owners in today’s gig economy. For many drivers it is their first good job in America. We deserve the right to operate under a fair set of rules so that we too can live the American dream.”
According to Coleman, the first step in the fairness process is for City leaders to collect approximately $35 million owed by Uber for citations issued in 2016. “These citations were never paid or adjudicated. The fees are still in the books at the One Stop. Can anyone explain how that has been allowed to happen? The city has so many financial needs from street repair and public education to affordable housing. It is inconceivable that the Cantrell administration has been turning a blind eye to collecting this money all these years,” Coleman exclaimed.
In 2013 the City Council tightened regulations for the taxi industry including a limitation on the age of for-hire vehicles and a requirement for credit card machines. “Our drivers must show proof of residency, proof of insurance, submit to a background check, and pay a hefty registration fee each year. Although our vehicles must meet all the requirements for a current brake tag, they also must pass an annual inspection in a city-operated garage where inspectors look for any little reason far beyond the brake tag requirements to fail our vehicles. That whole process is arbitrary and capricious. In addition, a city inspector can pull us over and review our paperwork at any time. Yet individuals who drive for Uber or Lyft are not subjected to those requirements,” Coleman said.
Even though the city regulates Uber, the Cantrell administration exercises very little control over the company, explained Coleman. On any given day, city officials have no verifiable data as to how many ride-share vehicles are on the streets or even what riders are charged for a fare. There is no documentation on how many of the drivers are Louisiana-licensed, a requirement by city ordinance. “Uber does not open their books. No audit of Uber’s operations is available. They self-report the number of rides they say were ordered and pay the city based on that self-report. Is that number always accurate? Uber also practices surge-pricing whenever they want. Their drivers don’t even know the exact fee before tip that each rider pays,” he continued.
The news media reported that 30,000 fans departed from Louis Armstrong International Airport after the Taylor Swift concerts. “We’ll never know how many of those Uber drivers came in from Mississippi, Alabama or Florida just for that weekend or how many had a criminal background. If a limousine or bus company wants to bring in extra vehicles for a special event like the Super Bowl, they must apply for and pay a special licensing fee. Uber can do as they please with no consequences.”
A person who works in New Orleans but has a residence outside the parish was in the city during the Taylor Swift weekend. A fan of Portuguese cuisine, they took a ride-share three blocks to Emeril Lagasse’s new restaurant, 34, and were charged more than $40 before tip. The driver allegedly had a heavy accent and told the passenger he was from South America.
Coleman claims that ride-share vehicles had a designated parking area close to the Superdome on the nights of the Taylor Swift concerts. “The city gave Uber preferential treatment. They set up an official Uber stand with live entertainment and put out a press release so visitors could find it. No wonder it was more convenient to grab an Uber than hail a taxi even if they knew where to look for a cab,” said Coleman.
He alleges that taxi drivers did not make the money they could have on Taylor Swift weekend because the rules were unequal. “We will not accept that same treatment during Superbowl and other special events going forward. Drivers of traditional for-hire vehicles are law-abiding, tax-paying citizens. We are your friends, neighbors and relatives. We attend the same churches. Our kids go to the same schools. We eat at your restaurants and shop at your stores.”
All the taxicab industry is asking for, says Coleman, is equity, accountability and transparency. “We are not blaming Uber drivers for trying to earn a living; but we must earn a living too. City leaders owe it to the hard-working men and women in our industry to address this issue before it’s too late. Collecting the $35 million in fines owed by Uber Technologies would be a good first step.”
