Oak Park taxi drivers say business is down, urge village to limit competition

52°

Are suburban cabbies going the way of the dinosaurs?

Tuesday, January 17th, 2012 10:00 PM

Earnings for some cabbies in Oak Park have been plummeting since the onset of the Great Recession, making it harder and harder to earn a living.

People are walking more for those shorts trips, hopping their bike or making a point of seeking out the nearest bus. Longino Brooks has been a taxi driver in the Oak Park area since 2000, and he claims that his pay has plummeted by 40 percent in recent years.

When he first started, he was taking home $50,000 and that dropped all the way down to $30,000 last year. He worries that those dollars might dry up completely at the current pace.

"The riders don't have the money now," Brooks said. "The demographic nature of Oak Park has changed. Twelve years ago, you had more seniors using cabs. Those guys done died out and moved away. Now you have more young people here. Those people are walking, riding bikes, jogging, driving their own cars."

His comments came during a Jan. 3 discussion of whether Oak Park wants to license a new cab company here. At the time, the village had two licensed taxi services within its borders, Blue Cab and Red Cab. American Taxi has been dropping off in Oak Park for a number of years, but was looking for a license here to be able to legally pick up customers. Trustees obliged, voting 6-1 in favor of the request.

John Kleeman, of Mount Prospect-based American Taxi, said his firm expected to operate about 10 cabs in the village. They likely wouldn't "post," or sit around waiting for rides, but will be based only on customer calls.

He acknowledged that business is down, and said a large group of American Taxi drivers have taken a 20 percent pay cut to avoid layoffs.

"Many of us can't get out of the office in that timeline, like myself, but we do it," he said. "We're all facing that."

But reps from the two already-licensed services implored the village to say no to another company. Amer Gamal, who owns Elmwood Park-based Red Cab, said there are already 150 taxis licensed here, which can respond to a call within 15 minutes.

He pointed out that American Taxi gets less than six calls a day on average from Oak Parkers, based on numbers provided to the village.

Mohammed Bouchama, a driver for Blue Cab for almost 12 years, said he saw his earnings plummet starting about four years ago.

"We don't make no money, and we hurt," he said. "We don't need no more companies to come here because we have enough drivers and cabs to serve all of Oak Park. A customer can get a cab in five minutes."

But the majority of trustees disagreed, saying that more competition might lead to higher-quality taxis hitting village streets. (Oak Park currently allows cabs to be as old as eight years.)

"Our residents say more times than not they're getting in a very old cab," Trustee Ray Johnson said, latter adding, "and improving competition may help that along."

Trustee Colette Lueck voted no, over concerns that American Taxi has picked up people here for years without a license. She argued that some cars are in poor condition because of the economics, rather than a lack of local competition.

Reader Comments

10 Comments - Add Your Comment

Comment Policy

Red Cab Manager from Oak Park

Posted: Wednesday, February 29th, 2012 1:31 PM

Good news from Red Cab!!! Red Cab goes green! We recently rolled out 6x 2011 Toyota Prius Hybrid vehicles bring our fleet to 8 hybrids with more to come. We plan to add 3 2012 Scions in the next month while removing the older Crown Victoria. Our mission is to have the best customer service and vehicles in our area while being considerate of our environment.

Oak Parker

Posted: Thursday, January 19th, 2012 7:42 PM

I always use Red Cab. We can order on-line, they have brand new hybrids, and the owners are fellow Oak Parkers. Don't much care if American Taxi is licensed in Oak Park or not. Doesn't make a difference. Besides their cars are crap.

Posted: Thursday, January 19th, 2012 3:38 PM

I have always used red cab. Never any issues with them until today actually. It took almost 45 mins for my cab to arrive and get me to my destination. I also was annoyed that the driver had no idea where he was going. I was only going from one side of OP to the other. I find it funny they seem to think they can get a cab to anyone in 15 minutes.

Posted: Thursday, January 19th, 2012 12:56 PM

The owner of Blue Cab lives or lived in Lake Forest. $$$$$

Leslie from Oak Park

Posted: Thursday, January 19th, 2012 11:33 AM

I gave up on Blue Cab when they sent a new driver that couldn't find my house and when he finally arrived 15 minutes late, did not know the way to O'Hare. When I became annoyed he told me to be quiet or there would be serious consequences! I complained and never received so much as a call back.

Posted: Wednesday, January 18th, 2012 7:39 PM

Competition makes every one leaner and makes pricing more competitive which in turn saves the customers money. As far as I know there was one cab company for many years-Blue Cab. Not sure what year Village cab left. Then came Red cab. Now there is another. Seems reasonable to me that 3 cab companies operate in a place like Oak park.

S.L. from Oak Park

Posted: Wednesday, January 18th, 2012 6:36 PM

Fare increases - up about 30 percent over the past couple of years by my estimate - is why I now drive downtown rather than cab it. It is cheaper to park downtown than to take a cab from Oak Park. Unfortunately, I no longer feel safe on the el if I am traveling at off-peak hours.

JH from Oak Park

Posted: Wednesday, January 18th, 2012 3:59 PM

Suggestions for improved business. Clean the cab, inside and out. Drivers should be well groomed, which includes regular showers and clean clothing. Drivers should not spend all their time on their cell phone while driving. Be respectful and use a kind word once in a while.

SOP Box Sally from Oak Park

Posted: Wednesday, January 18th, 2012 10:00 AM

What's good for Cabbies is good for... restaurants, popcorn stores, beauty salons? Sure, you bet :) Cab companies need to raise their game, not seek Village protection. News flash - VOP will not protect a business, they'll sell you down the river.

T.J. from Oak Park

Posted: Wednesday, January 18th, 2012 8:41 AM

I quit taking cabs to the airport form Oak Park. Both Blue Cab and Red Cab are to dirty to ride comfortably in. The cabs are always filthy and the driver usually has not taken a shower in days. The suspension and shocks of the car is usually completely shot adding to discomfort of the ride. I would rather overpay for parking than get in a cab. Chicago cabs are usually newer and cleaner.

Wednesday Journal News Blog

Yova coffee shop space for sale

Wednesday, May 16th 2012 02:53 PM

The space housing Yova Gourmet Coffee & Treats in the South Town Business District is for sale.

(No Comments) Read More...

Replacement letters being installed at Unity Temple in Oak Park

Wednesday, May 16th 2012 01:05 PM

Workers were busy Wednesday afternoon installing replacement letters over the entrance of Unity Temple in Oak Park.

(2 Comments) Read More...

Oak Park businesses, organizations seeking 'Best Of' awards from Chicago Reader

Tuesday, May 15th 2012 04:37 PM

In effort to be recognized by Chicago Reader's Best of Chicago poll, a group Oak Park-area businesses and organizations have joined together to take home the titles in various recognitions across six categories.

(1 Comment) Read More...

What We're Reading