DC cab drivers sue District over Uber’s ‘unfair’ advantage

Last week, several taxi drivers and the D.C. Metro Area Taxi Operators Association filed a class action suit against what they called a “two-tiered regulatory system” created by the Uber-favorable bill signed last November by former Mayor Vincent Gray.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court, invokes equal protection under the 14th Amendment, arguing that Uber and Lyft drivers are “de facto” taxi drivers, but are burdened with less fees and regulations than their traditional peers.
It also alleges the District violated due process by depriving taxi drivers of their “exclusive means for providing taxicab services.”
“Why should ride service companies get special rules and deals handed to them by the D.C. Council? It’s not fair and it’s not right,” said plaintiff Eartha Clark in a Teamsters press release.