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Court rejects Atlanta taxi lawsuit over competition from Uber, Lyft

Several Atlanta taxi owners said the state allowed new ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft to cut into their exclusive business. The Georgia Supreme Court rejected their lawsuit Monday. BRANT SANDERLIN/BSANDERLIN@AJC.COM
Several Atlanta taxi owners said the state allowed new ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft to cut into their exclusive business. The Georgia Supreme Court rejected their lawsuit Monday. BRANT SANDERLIN/BSANDERLIN@AJC.COM
By
May 15, 2017

The Georgia Supreme Court Monday rejected an appeal by Atlanta taxi drivers who claimed the General Assembly cost them big money when it allowed Uber and other ride-hailing services to compete for their customers.

In a lawsuit filed in Fulton County Superior Court, the taxi drivers said they spent tens of thousands of dollars to buy exclusive certificates needed to offer rides in the city. The drivers said lawmakers undermine their investment when they opened the door to ride-hailing services in legislation two years ago.

The Superior Court dismissed the claim. Among other things, the court concluded the taxi drivers were not entitled to an “unalterable monopoly” regarding vehicles for hire in Atlanta.

The taxi drivers appealed to the state Supreme Court. On Monday the justices unanimously affirmed the lower court decision.

In other news:

The reason for the decline can be attributed to Uber, Lyft and the amount of officers now being assigned to crimes and not traffic throughout Georgia.

About the Author

David Wickert writes about the state budget, finance and voting issues. Previously, he covered local government and politics in Gwinnett and Fulton counties. Before moving to Atlanta, he worked at newspapers in Illinois, Tennessee, Virginia and Washington.

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