How’s that cabbie driving? Call 311 to report it, stickers urge

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The city says bumper stickers on cabs are part of an effort to curb pedestrian and vehicle crashes. | ERNIE TORRES~SUN-TIMES

Updated: February 29, 2012 8:05AM

Chicago’s 6,892 taxis will be slapped with bumper stickers encouraging people to call 311 to report good and bad drivers, thanks to a plan unveiled Friday to improve cabbie performance and pedestrian safety.

As promised during City Council budget hearings, the campaign will be bankrolled by federal transportation funds.

The stickers have a black background with white letters that read, “How’s My Driving? Compliments or Concerns Call 311. Report Taxi Number.” The sticker also includes a bright yellow caution sign that says, “It’s up to you” with a line beneath that reads, “Be Alert. Be Safe. We’re all pedestrians.”

They will be affixed to the rear bumper of every Chicago cab when drivers report for mandatory city inspections every six months.

At the same time, drivers will receive a handout warning them to mind their speed; watch and stop for pedestrians, maintain a three-foot buffer with cyclists, and stay off cellphones while driving, even with a hands-free device.

“This is part of the effort to change the behaviors that lead to pedestrian and vehicle crashes,” Transportation Commissioner Gabe Klein said in a news release.

Rosemary Krimbel, commissioner of the Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection, said 311 calls serve as the city’s “eyes and ears on the street,” because city inspectors can’t be everywhere.

“More feedback helps us ensure the safety of passengers, pedestrians and drivers,” she said.

“Both complaints and compliments are necessary for us to look for ways to improve the industry as a whole.”

Veteran cabdriver Melissa Callahan warned that the invitation to call 311 would result in a barrage of bogus complaints against cabbies.

“The system is already pegged against cabdrivers. They can’t afford to hire an attorney. They can’t properly defend themselves. This is just adding to it,” said Callahan, branding the bumper stickers “ridiculous.”

If cabbies are targets for bad driving calls to 311, it should be a two-way street, she said.

“Maybe you cut me off. Why shouldn’t I be able to report you, just as you report me? It’s always cabdrivers who are subject to all these rules. Yet, we encounter problems with other drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists all the time,” she said.

Callahan has filed a federal lawsuit accusing Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s administration of violating the federal law that guarantees workers a minimum wage by imposing regulations that, she claims, limit cabbie income to $4.08 an hour.

And that’s before the reforms approved earlier this month that, Callahan claims, will take even more money out of drivers’ pockets by raising lease rates and flooding neighborhood streets with jitney cabs.

Last year, the city received 6,849 complaints against cabbies, 1,780 of them for reckless driving. Other common beefs involved: refusal to accept payment by credit card (866); rude driver (846); overcharges (583); refusing service (492), and an all-purpose category that includes speeding, dirty cabs and cellphone use (1,000).

Cabdrivers are called in after even one egregious complaint such as assault or threatening a passenger. They face penalties ranging from retraining and anger-management classes to license suspension or revocation.

Drivers who receive four less serious complaints over a two-year period have their licenses put on hold when it comes time for renewal pending further action.

Last year, the city denied 93 license renewals and suspended 14 drivers. That’s up from just 31 denials and two suspensions the year before.

When renewals are denied, drivers must wait 18 months to reapply. Cabbies whose license have been revoked must wait five years to reapply.

Earlier this month, the City Council approved Emanuel’s plan to pave the way for cabbies to drive newer, more fuel-efficient vehicles; be yanked off the road more quickly for dangerous driving, and spend no more than 12 straight hours on the road.

Aldermen also agreed to make Chicago’s on-again-off-again, $1 fuel surcharge permanent — raising the cost of entering a cab, known as the “flag-pull,” to $3.25.

Cabdrivers were not appeased, arguing that the $1 surcharge is gobbled up by higher gas prices.