Proposed Illinois regulations for rideshare services would have reduced competition and hurt consumers

CHICAGO (Aug. 25, 2014) – Today, Gov. Pat Quinn vetoed two bills that would have placed unnecessary and anti-competitive regulations on rideshare services such as Uber, Lyft and Sidecar. The legislation vetoed today was being pushed heavily by Illinois’ taxi companies that want to severely limit these popular and affordable transportation alternatives.

These proposed regulations would have instituted unnecessary and burdensome restrictions on ridesharing services. One example of the arbitrary regulations included in these bills was that rideshare drivers would have only been able to drive 18 hours per week or face additional restrictions from the state. The only purpose of these bills was to limit competition against the taxi industry that lobbied for this legislation.

Jacob Huebert, lead attorney for the Illinois Policy Institute’s litigation center, the Liberty Justice Center, gave the following statement regarding today’s veto by Gov. Quinn:

“This veto is good news for ride-sharing consumers and drivers. Proponents of these bills claimed they were trying to protect consumer safety and create a fair marketplace. But in fact, the bills that were vetoed today were about protecting the taxi industry from competition from ridesharing.

“In vetoing these bills, Gov. Quinn recognized that consumers benefit from the high quality and low prices ridesharing services have provided. The arbitrary restrictions that were proposed in these bills would have done nothing to make consumers any safer than they already are under Chicago’s ridesharing ordinance. These bills were meant to protect the profits of taxi companies, not to protect or help consumers.

“Rideshare services are providing jobs for drivers and affordable, reliable transportation options for consumers. With Gov. Quinn’s veto today, these services can continue to bring competition and safe, affordable transportation options to Illinoisans.”