A smartphone app could be the subject of the year's most spirited regulatory battle at City Hall, as lobbyists line up for a fight that pits taxicab companies against a car-service technology company called Uber.

The firm's entry into more than 20 U.S. cities has sparked lawsuits and cease-and-desist letters from taxi owners concerned for their livelihoods and regulators accusing the firm of skirting the law. Uber says it is merely a broker between riders and drivers, using a smartphone app to make getting a ride more efficient.

Uber must seek a change in ordinance for its business model to work in Houston, said Uber CEO Travis Kalanick. Company representatives first met with city officials in May; a social media marketing push launched in recent days.

The service the San Francisco-based startup wants to offer in Houston is UberBLACK, which would allow riders to hail town cars - also known as black cars or sedans - using the Uber app, alerting the nearest participating driver to respond. The fare is based on speed and distance using each smartphone's GPS technology, with the fare charged automatically to the customer's credit card.

Drivers who want to participate are given smartphones with the Uber app installed, said company spokeswoman Nairi Hourdajian, and must pass a background check and comply with all city licensing rules. Drivers continue to work for their limousine company or themselves; they do not work for Uber.

Houston is the last major U.S. city in which Uber does not operate, largely because of the city's "draconian" regulations, Kalanick said, calling the city's rules typical of those negotiated by taxi companies to protect themselves at the expense of riders.

"I don't think taxis in Houston are as readily available as other cities, and (I'd like) to have something like this where you can call, it's on-demand, they're there, they're always very reliable, very respectful," said Houstonian Natalie Petratis, who uses Uber when visiting her native Chicago.

Fare wars

Uber wants to drop the minimum fare for a sedan ride in Houston from $70 to $5.50; wants regulations changed to enable on-demand service, as opposed to rides arranged at least 30 minutes in advance; and wants to delete the four-car minimum required for new limo and sedan companies, among other tweaks.

"City government has decided, 'In Houston you're allowed to get a quality ride, but it'd be bad for you to get it quickly; we need to make sure that doesn't happen because chaos would ensue,' " Kalanick said. "That's a little tongue-in-cheek, but the point is, that is a law designed to ensure there is no alternative to taxis. There is no way to get a nice ride quickly in the city of Houston."

Chris Newport, spokesman for the city's Administrative and Regulatory Affairs department, said the changes Uber seeks are "significant" and will not be undertaken before a study of Houston's taxi industry, begun in April and expected to finish later this year, is done. Recent revisions allowing jitneys, pedicabs and low-speed shuttles, Newport added, prove the city's rules are not protective of cabs.

"Obviously, we want to encourage innovation and smart, new ideas. We just need to make sure we do it in a smart way, and our most important consideration is always going to be the safety of the riding public," Newport said.

Yellow Cab CEO Roman Martinez and Joe Jordan, president of the Houston Limousine Operators Networking Group, labeled Uber a rogue operator.

Martinez, whose Yellow Cab and affiliated companies field 1,400 vehicles, said Uber's service will skim the best trips in the city, hurting the taxi industry and curtailing its ability to give rides to the poor or disabled.

"We don't understand why Uber would want to change existing law instead of just operating under current ordinance just like all of us have been doing for years," Martinez said. "It's unfair for them to come in the market and say, 'Now we're going to get rid of all these rules and regulations so we can get into the market.' "

Lobbyists go to work

Yellow Cab affiliate Towne Car operates sedans at the same price as cabs, said lobbyist Cindy Clifford. She is joined on the cabs' lobby team by Felix Chavelier and former council member Sue Lovell. Uber has hired lobbyists Jeri Brooks, David Gonzalez, Robert Miller, Neftali Partida and Nancy Sims.

"Every place they go, they say, 'We're only going to use established, licensed operators; we're clean as choir boys.' And as time goes on they start using anybody with a pulse and a running vehicle," Jordan said. "If there's an issue with the city or a ripped-off client, where are you going to go? You going to go complain to a website? It'd be chaos if they let Uber come in."

Hourdajian said UberBLACK works exclusively with licensed drivers and said Uber brings more accountability to the process by requiring drivers and riders to rate each other and by giving riders detailed information about each trip.

Councilwoman Melissa Noriega, who chairs the council's transportation, technology and infrastructure committee, said she has a hunch the fight will end with Uber being accommodated in some way. Houston's cab industry, she said, largely revolves around the airport and business centers.

"There's a hole there, and there have been various people trying to fill it with jitneys and EcoCabs. The taxis have gone after all of them. As long as there's a hole, there's going to be an economic push to fill it," she said. Ebrima Loppy, a licensed sedan driver in Houston for 15 years, learned of Uber from out-of-town clients. Loppy said he is not bothered by the idea of paying Uber a commission, because he already pays a fee to whatever limousine or cab company dispatches him to a client.

"I think it's a very good idea," he said. "The way I understand it works, it's very consistent. You don't have to wait in line for an hour or two hours or three hours waiting on a customer. It's whoever is available and around."