Cambridge cab drivers took time off from picking up fares Monday to make their voices heard on the steps of city hall, hoping the temporary strike would put pressure on city and state officials to better regulate so-called ride sharing services like Uber and Lyft.
Mike Gervais who started a taxi school in Cambridge said, Uber is a problem, an illegal problem that's on the road stealing our work, manipulating the public, they don't have to pay commercial prices.
Cambridge cab driver Ghon Robert Flaurissaint says he's seen his business dwindle.
"We've lost like I can say 75-80 percent," he said.
While cab companies pay thousands of dollars in insurance and medallion licensing fees, Uber and Lyft do not.
But some ride sharing drivers say they're not to blame, and that they're just trying to make a living, too.
"We're not the enemy and they're not our enemy either. I do understand that they have some legitimate gripes with maybe certain local city governments about disadvantages for them," Cambridge Uber driver John Moore said.
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The city is deferring to the state, where legislation is in the works, but some officials and residents say adding fees to ride sharing services is not the solution.
"I'm not sure why you would want to regulate something that's successful rather than bringing up the rest of the industry to be more competitive," Cambridge City Councilor Nadeem Mazen said.
"I think if anything there should less regulations for the taxis and then they can be on the same playing field," Uber user Shereen Salem said.
The Chamber of Commerce strongly condemned the strike saying there are many people at the city and state level actively working to resolve this issue
"Obviously they're getting their point across and we understand where they're coming from, but I think this just makes everybody more frustrated," Kelly Thompson Clark, president and CEO of Cambridge Chamber of Commerce, said.
Uber released a statement saying in part, "As taxis put their own interests ahead of consumers’ today, Uber will remain a safe, convenient way to get around."
The taxi strike was scheduled to last all day, but by mid-afternoon, many cab drivers had gone back to taking on fares, feeling confident they had made their point.
