Uber vs. Taxis: Citizens give their input as city looks to update regulations

The battle continued between Uber and taxis Thursday night at a community meeting hosted by Rep. Emma Acosta.

Acosta’s goal is to update the language of the 1997 ordinance taxi drivers are currently regulated under. She believes is Uber making the transportation industry unfair.

The battle between transportation services began at the airport, in Acosta’s district. With a flick of a finger, passengers can call up an Uber, driving right past the taxis who paid for the privilege of picking up airport passengers.

“Uber and Lift or transportation network companies,” Acosta said, “don’t have any regulations right now because its a new type of industry that is network based. In other words you don’t make a phone call to get one of these services, you either have an app on your phone or you do it via the internet.”

Taxi drivers have to undergo background checks, a state and four city inspections paint for them all. More than 400 drivers paying to work in El Paso generates $250,000 a year for the city. Uber generates zero.

“You got to pay taxes,” said Joe Olivar, owner of Border Taxi Cab Company. “And when you have an industry that is paying taxes and the other industry is not paying taxes, that put an unfair burden on that particular industry.”

The city wants Uber to pay taxes to use El Paso’s roads. It also wants to hold Uber drivers liable for passenger safety.
But the city also wants to lessen the onerous regulations taxi drivers are under. The playing field isn’t level, they say, it’s not a fair fight.

“You got to keep in mind that cab drivers go through quite an intensive vetting process that’s done by government,” Olivar said. “With Uber none of that is done.”

“My daughter, who has been out of town and travels for work, came to El Paso and she found out Uber was here and she was truly surprised,” said resident Leticia Chavez who attended the meeting. “She says ‘You guys have truly gotten progressive!'”

Also on the city’s mind, getting traditional taxi cabs up on modern tech trends so they can compete on an increasingly crowded roadway.

“I’m definitely for having Uber in the city and Lift,” Chavez said.

Acosta hopes to update the taxi ordinance by the end of the year.

If you like to give your input, there will be for more meetings:
Oct. 8-12p at Pebble Hills Regional Command Center
Oct. 8- 6p at NE Regional Command Center
Oct. 13-12p at Armijo Library
Oct. 13- 5p at Clardy Fox Library