By Kieran Bondy  Living in a place as busy as Chicago, transportation is an essential part of everyday life. Driving is fast, but parking is scarce and expensive. Biking is efficient and cheap, but you are limited to the warm months. Taking the train or the bus is affordable, but is unreliable. Uber, however, is fast, cheap, convenient, and reliable, and after using the app for the past year, I can attest to that. After all these great things I just listed you must be wondering, what’s the catch? The answer is: there isn’t one. Uber is a service that was built and modeled to fit the wants and needs of the consumer and has changed the transportation industry for the better, but city governments all across the United States are trying to limit Uber’s ability to operate because it is unfair to current cab drivers. These restrictions must be stopped from being put in place. Have you ever gotten off a long and grueling plane ride and just wanted to get home? I know I have, but more often than not, my 20-minute ride home is extended to a 40-minute endeavor solely because of the atrocious cab lines at O’Hare. Uber fixes this issue. Uber is a taxi service that can be accessed at the touch of a button and that employs over 150,000 drivers in the U.S. alone. With this ever-growing workforce, drivers are always available no matter the location; whether it be a friend’s house or the beach, you always have a ride home. In contrast, taxis tend to only frequent high traffic areas such as Michigan Avenue, leaving less frequented areas neglected. Not only is Uber more convenient than taxis, but it is also safer. Safety is always a priority and Uber makes safety effortless. They offer door to door service, giving you a safe ride from the comfort of your home to your destination like a luxury limo service, but for a fraction of the cost. Uber also does extensive background checks for all of its drivers ensuring that you are safe when using their app. The app also simplifies payment by eliminating the need for cash. Uber is an efficient service that makes taxi travel pleasant and effortless for all. With strict and clear-cut rules paired with constant customer feedback Uber is designed to be hassle free. Uber has clear non-discrimination rules that are articulated on their website, and that if drivers do not adhere to their rules the driver’s account will be deactivated. Although it is thought that taxi drivers must comply to similar rules, a recent study in Washington retrieved some horrific findings. Taxi drivers were “caught on video passing by people who were accompanied by guide dogs and stopping for a sighted passenger standing a short distance down the street”. This blatant mistreatment of the physically impaired is appalling. How would you feel if you were denied service because of a disability that you had no control over? Uber has combatted this behavior through in depth customer feedback and strict rules. Uber is a fantastic service that makes our lives as consumers easier and better, and hasn’t stopped improving since its founding in 2009. Uber is finding new ways to improve our society, but the government is trying to restrict it because taxi drivers are being run out of business. With so many people at Latin already familiar with the service, it should be our goal to allow Uber to continue to grow and improve our great country by saying no to the restrictions being set forth by government officials and taxi drivers.]]>