Drivers for ride-hailing services owe Chicago taxpayers $15 million — for unpaid parking tickets, red-light and speed camera fines and overdue water bills — fueling demands to require them to get chauffeur’s licenses. When Business Affairs and Consumer Protection Commissioner Maria Guerra Lapacek revealed the level of outstanding debt, Northwest Side Ald. John Arena (45th) tried to seize on it. Arena moved immediately to hold Uber and Lyft drivers to the same licensing standards as cabdrivers. By a 6-to-5 vote, the City Council’s License Committee rejected Arena’s motion and forged ahead with Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s plan to appease struggling cabdrivers by reducing fines and relaxing...
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