>> IF YOU RELY ON RIDESHARE

COMPANIES LIKE UBER OR LYFT TO

GET AROUND CHICAGO YOUR FARE

WOULD BE HIGHER.

MAYOR LORI LIGHTFOOT PROPOSED

NEW FEES ON RIDESHARE TRIPS AS

PART OF THEIR 2020 BUDGET WHICH

SHE SAYS WILL RAISE $40 MILLION

FOR THE CITY WHILE DECREASING

CONGESTION AND FUNDING PUBLIC

TRANSIT IMPROVEMENTS.

WHAT ARE THE SPECIFICS OF THE

PLAN?

AND HOW WILL IT IMPACT

TRANSPORTATION ACROSS CHICAGO?

JOINING US ARE MELODY, INTERIM

DIRECTOR OF THE ACTIVE

TRANSPORTATION ALLIANCE A

ADVOCACY GROUP AND REVEREND

WILLIAM HALL OF ST. JAMES

COMMUNITY CHURCH IN CHATHAM AND

WELCOME TO "CHICAGO TONIGHT."

I WOULD LIKE TO BEGIN WITH YOU.

GIVE US AN OVERVIEW WHAT THE

MAYOR IS PROPOSING?

>> WHAT WE UNDERSTAND IS THAT

THE MAYOR IS PROPOSING A

REALLOCATION OF THE BURDENS OF

THE TRANSIT --

OF THE RIDE HAILING FEES.

GOING FROM A FLAT FEE TO

REDISTRIBUTING THOSE BURDENS TO

TRIPS THAT ARE PRIMARILY

DOWNTOWN, MAKING THOSE FEES

HIGHER AND MAKING THE FEES

HIGHER FOR SOLO TRIPS SO THE

NEGATIVE IMPACTS THAT ARE

HAPPENING AS A RESULT OF RIDE

HAILING IN THE CITY OF CHICAGO

ARE BEING PAID FOR.

>> IF ONE IS GOING TO THIS AREA

OUTLINED ON THE MAP OR LEAVING

FROM THAT AREA THEY WOULD SEE AN

INCREASE IF IT'S SOLO.

>> CORRECT.

>> INCREASE IF IT'S SOLO.

REVEREND HALL YOU'VE EXPRESSED

CONCERN ABOUT THE MAYOR'S

PROPOSAL?

>> ABSOLUTELY.

I EXPRESS MY CONCERNS ARE

CENTERED ON THE IDEA THAT

INCREASE FOR SINGLE RIDERS NOT

IN THE ZONE WHICH IS NOT BEING

COMMUNICATED.

GOING FROM 75TH, ON 71 TO 69TH

YOU WILL SEE AN INCREASE IN THE

RIDESHARE RIDING SOLO.

THOSE RIDING WITH SOMEONE ELSE

YOU HAVE TO PAY AS WELL.

I THINK THE EMPHASIS ON DOWNTOWN

WHICH IS WHAT IT IS, IS JUST

ONLY ONE FRACTION OF THIS TAX.

WHEN WE LOOK AT SOMEONE WHO

LIVES IN THE CHATHAM LIKE I LIVE

IN AND WANTS TO GO DOWNTOWN TO

WORK, ADDITIONAL $1.25 ROUND

TRIP THAT IS $6.

THAT IS $30 TIMES FOUR IS $120

TIMES 10 MONTHS IS CLOSE TO

$1200 YOU ARE ASKING SOMEONE TO

PAY.

THAT IS EXTRA RENT AND MORTGAGE,

HEAT AND GAS NOT INCLUDING ANY

OTHER EXPENSES IF THEY HAVE A

CHILD.

I THINK THAT TAXING THOSE WHO

ARE DEPENDENT UPON RIDESHARES

WHICH ARE SAFE IS NOT THE RIGHT

THING TO DO.

>> THE RIDESHARE COMPANIES AGREE

WITH THE REVEREND IN THAT THEY

SAY THIS IS A REGRESSIVE TAX IT

IS A FLAT TAX THAT HAS AN IMPACT

ON POOR PEOPLE, LOWER INCOME

PEOPLE.

IS THAT CORRECT?

>> WELL, WE DON'T SEE IT THAT

WAY.

AS A SOUTH SIDE RIDER TO

REVEREND HALL I KNOW THAT A TRIP

DOWNTOWN FROM MY HOME DURING

PRIME RUSH-HOUR IS CLOSE TO $20

AND THAT THE IS WITHOUT TIP.

AS OPPOSED TO TAKING THE METRA

ELECTRIC OR AN EXPRESS BUS WHICH

IS $4 OR LESS.

THE FOLKS THAT ARE DEPENDENT ON

RIDE HAILING ARE SHELLING OUT

QUITE A BIT.

>> IN ADDITION TO WHAT YOU ARE

SAYING I THINK THAT LET'S LOOK

AT THE SAFETY OF THE RIDESHARE.

IT'S MORE ABOUT SAFETY.

WHEN YOU ARE ASKING SOMEONE I

KNOW A LADY WHO LIVES CLOSE TO

YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD WHO HAS A

CHILD WITH SPECIAL NEEDS.

DO YOU KNOW HOW HARD IT IS FOR A

WOMAN WITH A SPECIAL NEEDS CHILD

TO WAIT ON THE BUS STOP IN THE

DEAD HEAT OF WINTER AND GET ON A

BUS THAT IS NOT SAFE.

PEOPLE DEPEND ON IT NOT JUST TO

GO DOWNTOWN BUT PEOPLE THAT USE

IT TO GO TO AND FROM LAUNDRY AND

IT'S NOT JUST FOR THOSE DOWNTOWN

BETWEEN MONDAY-FRIDAY.

THESE ARE PEOPLE THAT ARE GOING

NEIGHBORHOOD TO NEIGHBORHOOD.

THOSE WHO ARE DEPENDENT ON THE

RIDESHARE TO TAKE THEM TO THE

LOCAL LAUNDROMAT WHERE IT'S

COSTING $30 TO DO LAUNDRY.

OUR CHURCH RENTED OUT FOUR

LAUNDRY MATTES FOR THREE HOURS

WHEN YOU ARE SAYING TO COME ONE

NEIGHBORHOOD TO NEIGHBORHOOD YOU

HAVE TO PAY MORE TAXES AND

PUTTING YOUR SAFETY ON THE LINE

TO GO TO AND FROM, PEOPLE NEED

TO HAVE NOT ONLY JUST SAFETY BUT

THEY NEED NOT BE SPENDING SO

MUCH MONEY.

>> IN TERMS OF THERE IS A SAFETY

ARGUMENT AND ALSO SOME OF THE

FEES WOULD GO TO MAKE PUBLIC

TRANSPORTATION MORE ACCESSIBLE

PRESUMABLY SAFER.

TELL US ABOUT THAT.

>> RIGHT.

IT'S OUR BELIEF THAT RIDE

HAILING IS FILLING A VOID FOR

FOLKS ON THE SOUTH AND WEST

SIDES WHO HAVE LESS ACCESS TO

TRANSIT, LESS FREQUENT SERVICE,

LESS RELIABLE SERVICE AND IF WE

COULD SHIFT OUR DOLLARS TOWARD

MAKING THOSE SERVICES MORE

ROBUST WE WOULD LESSEN THE NEED

FOR RIDE HAILING SERVICES.

TO YOUR POINT REVEREND, I HAVE A

DAUGHTER WITH DOWN'S SYNDROME

AND I AGREE 100% THAT CAR

TRANSPORTATION SHOULD BE

RESERVED FOR THOSE WHO NEED IT

THE MOST.

PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES, PEOPLE

WITH WHO ARE OLDER, ADULTS,

YOUNGER PEOPLE WITH CHILDREN.

BUT THE VAST MAJORITY OF US

SHOULD BE ABLE TO GET WHERE WE

WANT TO GO ANYWHERE IN THE CITY

WITH WORLD CLASS PUBLIC

TRANSPORTATION.

>> AND YOU THINK THE SCHEME

WOULD MAKE THAT TRANSIT PUBLIC

TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM BETTER.

>> THE FUNDING WILL GO TOWARDS

SPEEDING UP THE BUSES AND

REDUCING CON GRENGS AND TAKING

SOME OF THE CARS OFF THE ROAD.

>> I'M HERE TO REPRESENT THE

MINORITY WHEN WE LOOK AT THE

MINORITY OF CHICAGO THERE ARE

THOSE MAKING THE AVERAGE INCOME

BEING $30-$40,000 A YEAR IN

ADDITIONAL $1200 HURTS THAT

PERSON LIVING PAYCHECK TO

PAYCHECK.

WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE

INVESTMENT PROPOSED $40 MILLION

TO BE INVESTED IN THE TRANSIT

SYSTEM THAT IS A PART OF THE ITS

SYSTEM.

79TH STREET AND ROUTES HERE AND

THERE IS NOT THE WHOLE SYSTEM.

JUST LOOK AT THE TRAINS FOR A

SECOND.

WE ARE LOOKING AT CLOSE TO 2500

CRIMES REPORTED LAST YEAR ON THE

TRAINS.

WE ARE LOOKING AT SETTING THAT

RECORD AGAIN UP UNTIL AUGUST 31,

1234 ACCORDING TO, CRIMES HAD

TAKEN PLACE ON THE TRANSIT

SYSTEM.

WHEN YOU LOOK AT THOSE WHO ARE

THE MINORITY, THE LEAST OF THESE

WHO DEPEND ON AGE MINIMUM WAGE

JOBS LIVING OFF OF A DOLLAR 15

CENTS AND LET'S ADD DOLLAR 25

FOR SAFETY FOR THE CONVENIENCE

OF GETTING TO AND FROM TO MAKE

WHAT LITTLE THEY CAN I DON'T

THINK IT'S RIGHT.

>> I WOULD LIKE TO RESPOND TO

THAT I DON'T THINK WE ARE FAR

APART WHAT WE'RE SAYING.

WE'RE SAYING THE TRANSPORTATION

SYSTEM WE HAVE FALLS SHORT FOR

THE PEOPLE ON THE SOUTH AND WEST

SIDES FOR SURE.

WE NEED BETTER, SAFER

TRANSPORTATION, PUBLIC

TRANSPORTATION.

THIS IS THE PEOPLE'S

TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM.

AND FILLING THAT VOID WITH

PRIVATE COMPANIES AND PRIVATE

TRANSPORTATION THAT IS MORE

EXPENSIVE IS NOT WHAT WE THINK