Tech Policy Podcast

#76: Little Rock's Taxi Monopoly is on Trial

Episode Summary

Taxi monopolies have clashed with ride-sharing companies like Uber and Lyft across the country. But what happens when the clash is between two taxi companies? Ken Leininger, founder of Ken’s Cab, found out the hard way. When he tried to operate his small cab company in Little Rock, AR, he found out that local law protected the city’s taxi monopoly from competition. He and the Institute for Justice (IJ) are suing the city. Evan is joined by Allison Daniel, an attorney for IJ. They discuss the case and its broader implications for competition and consumers. Are mom-and-pop taxi companies the unsung victims of outdated regulation? Is this a new front in the battles over the sharing economy? For more, check out IJ’s case site.

Episode Notes

Taxi monopolies have clashed with ride-sharing companies like Uber and Lyft across the country. But what happens when the clash is between two taxi companies? Ken Leininger, founder of Ken’s Cab, found out the hard way. When he tried to operate his small cab company in Little Rock, AR, he found out that local law protected the city’s taxi monopoly from competition. He and the Institute for Justice (IJ) are suing the city. Evan is joined by Allison Daniel, an attorney for IJ. They discuss the case and its broader implications for competition and consumers. Are mom-and-pop taxi companies the unsung victims of outdated regulation? Is this a new front in the battles over the sharing economy? For more, check out IJ’s case site.