The City Council today approved a measure to regulate the fledgling rideshare industry in Chicago despite opposition from taxicab companies who believe Mayor Rahm Emanuel's efforts don't go far enough.



Aldermen voted 34-10 in favor of the new regulations after an effort failed to delay the measure until the General Assembly passes its own set of rideshare regulations.



"All I ask is that we hold on for a few months so we can mimic what they pass in Springfield," said Ald. Anthony Beale, 9th, before his motion to delay failed by a vote of 36-9.



"This ordinance will hurt the hard-working men and women who are driving cabs every single day," Beale said. "These men and women are the ambassadors of this great city. . . . We, I feel, are turning our backs on them with this particular ordinance."



Rideshare companies "are making millions," Beale added, before noting the hefty prices the city fetches for a single cab license, or medallion. Rideshare companies, Beale said, "are not paying $360,000 for a medallion. Those medallions will be useless if this ordinance passes. The people who are driving a cab every single day are struggling, just trying to make ends meet."



Ald. Proco "Joe" Moreno, 1st, said the debate should be about the companies that buy the bulk of the medallions, not the individual cab drivers who work for them.



"This is not about the cab drivers," Moreno said. "It's about the medallion owners. Medallion owners have not been treating cab drivers fairly for decades."



Once the ordinance goes into effect in 90 days, companies whose driver workforce averages more than 20 hours per person each week will face stronger oversight, including a requirement that all drivers obtain chauffeur's licenses.



But the ordinance leaves it to the ride-share companies like Uber X, Lyft and SideCar to police drivers in terms of how many work hours are logged.