PETITION TO THE CHICAGO DEPARTMENT OF AVIATION Investigation on uber’s geofence
PETITION TO THE CHICAGO DEPARTMENT OF AVIATION Investigation on uber’s geofence
The Issue
PETITION TO THE CHICAGO DEPARTMENT OF AVIATION
Stop Uber’s O’Hare Queue Bypasses: I-190 Loophole, Rematch and Trip Radar
To: Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA)
Regarding: Uber/Livery Operations at O’Hare International Airport
We, the undersigned livery drivers operating at O’Hare International Airport, respectfully request that the Chicago Department of Aviation investigate and address Uber dispatch practices that undermine O’Hare’s designated livery staging and waiting system.
Drivers who follow the established process can spend hours waiting in the designated lot. Yet Uber’s technology can create ways for other drivers to receive airport pickup opportunities without following the same waiting order.
We are asking CDA to address three connected problems: the I-190 geofence loophole, Rematch, and Trip Radar.
1. Close the I-190 Geofence Loophole
Drivers have identified an area along the I-190 approach to O’Hare where Uber’s geofence appears to allow drivers to receive O’Hare pickup requests without properly waiting in the designated lot.
This has created an incentive for drivers to position themselves on or near the shoulder instead of joining the airport waiting system.
Drivers who follow the established process may wait for hours while another driver can potentially position a vehicle in this area and receive an airport trip much sooner.
This is not simply a driver-enforcement problem. If Uber’s dispatch system rewards drivers for positioning themselves there, ticketing or removing individual drivers will not eliminate the underlying incentive.
We ask CDA to require Uber to close any geofence or dispatch loophole that allows the I-190 shoulder or surrounding roadway to function as an unofficial airport waiting area.
2. Review and Eliminate Rematch for O’Hare Livery Pickups
We also ask CDA to review Uber’s use of Rematch for O’Hare livery operations.
A livery driver dropping a passenger at a terminal is not necessarily positioned to immediately perform another livery pickup. O’Hare livery operations involve designated staging/stamping procedures and separate authorized pickup locations.
Meanwhile, drivers who have followed the staging process may already have been waiting in the designated lot for hours.
Allowing a driver who has just completed a drop-off to immediately bypass those waiting drivers through Rematch undermines the purpose of having an organized airport waiting system.
We ask CDA to determine whether Rematch is compatible with O’Hare’s livery operating procedures and, if it bypasses the established staging/queue process, require Uber to discontinue or modify Rematch for O’Hare livery pickups.
3. Remove Trip Radar From O’Hare Airport Dispatch
Drivers are also asking CDA to investigate Uber Trip Radar at O’Hare.
Uber publicly describes its O’Hare airport virtual queue as operating on a first-in, first-out (FIFO) basis.
Trip Radar, however, can expose airport trip opportunities to multiple drivers and allow Uber’s matching system to determine which driver ultimately receives the trip.
This raises an important question:
If drivers are required to enter a designated airport staging system and wait their turn, why should an algorithm be allowed to give a trip to another driver ahead of someone who has been waiting longer?
A driver who has waited in the O’Hare lot for hours should not lose a trip simply because another driver farther back in the system saw a Trip Radar offer, clicked it, or was selected by Uber’s algorithm.
Trip Radar turns what drivers understand to be an organized airport queue into competition for individual offers.
For normal city driving, Uber may choose to operate Trip Radar as part of its dispatch system. O’Hare is different because airport pickups operate within a designated staging and traffic-management system.
We therefore ask CDA to investigate whether Trip Radar is consistent with O’Hare’s airport staging and queue requirements and to require Uber to remove Trip Radar from O’Hare airport pickup dispatch if it allows drivers to bypass the established queue order.
Airport trips should be dispatched through a clear and transparent queue system—not through a race to tap an offer or an undisclosed algorithmic selection.
These Are Three Versions of the Same Problem
The I-190 loophole, Rematch and Trip Radar operate differently, but they raise the same fundamental concern:
Drivers who follow the designated O’Hare staging process can be bypassed by Uber’s technology.
The airport establishes staging areas for a reason. Drivers enter the lot, follow airport procedures and wait their turn.
Uber’s dispatch technology should support that system—not create exceptions and technological shortcuts around it.
What We Are Asking CDA to Do
We respectfully request that the Chicago Department of Aviation:
Investigate Uber’s O’Hare geofence, particularly the I-190 area being used by drivers to obtain airport trips outside the designated waiting process.
Require Uber to close the I-190 geofence/dispatch loophole so the roadway or shoulder cannot function as an unofficial waiting area.
Review Rematch for O’Hare livery operations and require its removal or modification if it allows drivers to bypass the established staging process.
Investigate Trip Radar at O’Hare and determine whether its matching process is consistent with the airport’s staging and queue requirements.
Require the removal of Trip Radar from O’Hare airport pickup dispatch if it allows the established queue order to be bypassed.
Require Uber to clearly disclose to drivers how O’Hare airport queue priority and airport trip assignments operate.
Review available dispatch and location data, within CDA’s authority, to determine how often O’Hare trips are being assigned outside the normal staging/queue process.
Require Uber’s airport dispatch technology to operate consistently with O’Hare’s established staging, pickup and traffic-management procedures.
Our Request Is Simple
One airport. One staging system. One fair queue.
If drivers are required to enter the designated O’Hare lot and wait their turn, Uber should not be allowed to create technological shortcuts around that process.
Close the I-190 loophole. Review and eliminate unfair Rematch. Remove Trip Radar from O’Hare airport dispatch where it bypasses the queue. Restore a transparent and fair airport waiting system.
We ask the Chicago Department of Aviation to investigate these practices and take appropriate action with Uber.
Signed,
O’Hare Livery Drivers and Supporters
37
The Issue
PETITION TO THE CHICAGO DEPARTMENT OF AVIATION
Stop Uber’s O’Hare Queue Bypasses: I-190 Loophole, Rematch and Trip Radar
To: Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA)
Regarding: Uber/Livery Operations at O’Hare International Airport
We, the undersigned livery drivers operating at O’Hare International Airport, respectfully request that the Chicago Department of Aviation investigate and address Uber dispatch practices that undermine O’Hare’s designated livery staging and waiting system.
Drivers who follow the established process can spend hours waiting in the designated lot. Yet Uber’s technology can create ways for other drivers to receive airport pickup opportunities without following the same waiting order.
We are asking CDA to address three connected problems: the I-190 geofence loophole, Rematch, and Trip Radar.
1. Close the I-190 Geofence Loophole
Drivers have identified an area along the I-190 approach to O’Hare where Uber’s geofence appears to allow drivers to receive O’Hare pickup requests without properly waiting in the designated lot.
This has created an incentive for drivers to position themselves on or near the shoulder instead of joining the airport waiting system.
Drivers who follow the established process may wait for hours while another driver can potentially position a vehicle in this area and receive an airport trip much sooner.
This is not simply a driver-enforcement problem. If Uber’s dispatch system rewards drivers for positioning themselves there, ticketing or removing individual drivers will not eliminate the underlying incentive.
We ask CDA to require Uber to close any geofence or dispatch loophole that allows the I-190 shoulder or surrounding roadway to function as an unofficial airport waiting area.
2. Review and Eliminate Rematch for O’Hare Livery Pickups
We also ask CDA to review Uber’s use of Rematch for O’Hare livery operations.
A livery driver dropping a passenger at a terminal is not necessarily positioned to immediately perform another livery pickup. O’Hare livery operations involve designated staging/stamping procedures and separate authorized pickup locations.
Meanwhile, drivers who have followed the staging process may already have been waiting in the designated lot for hours.
Allowing a driver who has just completed a drop-off to immediately bypass those waiting drivers through Rematch undermines the purpose of having an organized airport waiting system.
We ask CDA to determine whether Rematch is compatible with O’Hare’s livery operating procedures and, if it bypasses the established staging/queue process, require Uber to discontinue or modify Rematch for O’Hare livery pickups.
3. Remove Trip Radar From O’Hare Airport Dispatch
Drivers are also asking CDA to investigate Uber Trip Radar at O’Hare.
Uber publicly describes its O’Hare airport virtual queue as operating on a first-in, first-out (FIFO) basis.
Trip Radar, however, can expose airport trip opportunities to multiple drivers and allow Uber’s matching system to determine which driver ultimately receives the trip.
This raises an important question:
If drivers are required to enter a designated airport staging system and wait their turn, why should an algorithm be allowed to give a trip to another driver ahead of someone who has been waiting longer?
A driver who has waited in the O’Hare lot for hours should not lose a trip simply because another driver farther back in the system saw a Trip Radar offer, clicked it, or was selected by Uber’s algorithm.
Trip Radar turns what drivers understand to be an organized airport queue into competition for individual offers.
For normal city driving, Uber may choose to operate Trip Radar as part of its dispatch system. O’Hare is different because airport pickups operate within a designated staging and traffic-management system.
We therefore ask CDA to investigate whether Trip Radar is consistent with O’Hare’s airport staging and queue requirements and to require Uber to remove Trip Radar from O’Hare airport pickup dispatch if it allows drivers to bypass the established queue order.
Airport trips should be dispatched through a clear and transparent queue system—not through a race to tap an offer or an undisclosed algorithmic selection.
These Are Three Versions of the Same Problem
The I-190 loophole, Rematch and Trip Radar operate differently, but they raise the same fundamental concern:
Drivers who follow the designated O’Hare staging process can be bypassed by Uber’s technology.
The airport establishes staging areas for a reason. Drivers enter the lot, follow airport procedures and wait their turn.
Uber’s dispatch technology should support that system—not create exceptions and technological shortcuts around it.
What We Are Asking CDA to Do
We respectfully request that the Chicago Department of Aviation:
Investigate Uber’s O’Hare geofence, particularly the I-190 area being used by drivers to obtain airport trips outside the designated waiting process.
Require Uber to close the I-190 geofence/dispatch loophole so the roadway or shoulder cannot function as an unofficial waiting area.
Review Rematch for O’Hare livery operations and require its removal or modification if it allows drivers to bypass the established staging process.
Investigate Trip Radar at O’Hare and determine whether its matching process is consistent with the airport’s staging and queue requirements.
Require the removal of Trip Radar from O’Hare airport pickup dispatch if it allows the established queue order to be bypassed.
Require Uber to clearly disclose to drivers how O’Hare airport queue priority and airport trip assignments operate.
Review available dispatch and location data, within CDA’s authority, to determine how often O’Hare trips are being assigned outside the normal staging/queue process.
Require Uber’s airport dispatch technology to operate consistently with O’Hare’s established staging, pickup and traffic-management procedures.
Our Request Is Simple
One airport. One staging system. One fair queue.
If drivers are required to enter the designated O’Hare lot and wait their turn, Uber should not be allowed to create technological shortcuts around that process.
Close the I-190 loophole. Review and eliminate unfair Rematch. Remove Trip Radar from O’Hare airport dispatch where it bypasses the queue. Restore a transparent and fair airport waiting system.
We ask the Chicago Department of Aviation to investigate these practices and take appropriate action with Uber.
Signed,
O’Hare Livery Drivers and Supporters
The Decision Makers
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Petition created on September 16, 2026