CHICAGO — Chicago taxi drivers are gathering signatures for a petition to the Chicago City Council asking the council to grant them their first fare increase in four years — a drive fueled by rising gas prices.

According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the petition is for a "reasonable fare increase" is being led by retired cabdriver George Lutfallah, who is the managing editor of the Chicago Dispatcher, a trade publication for the local taxicab industry. He told the paper that a lot of drivers asked for the petition, and a few are pounding the pavement in an effort to get their fellow drivers to sign it. The petition has also been faxed to all of the taxicab affiliations.

Gas prices have increased the last few weeks, with the average retail price of a gallon of gasoline in the United States, hitting more than $2 for the first time on Monday, according to the Sun-Times. There is also an increase in the cost of insurance, repairs, vehicle replacement and city fees, Lutfallah told the paper. Lutfallah said Chicago is 12th out of 14 cities when it comes to taxi fares.

Checker Taxi Association President John Moberg told the paper that the average driver who pumps 15 to 20 gallons a day into the tank is probably losing between $50 to $60 a week. He said the money is currently coming out of the drivers' pockets. He added that he has posted the petitions at the Checker garage at Grenshaw and Jefferson.

Ten percent of the city's 17,000 licensed cabdrivers must sign petitions before the city council can even consider the issue, the Sun-Times reported. Those signatures must then be verified to make certain that there are no duplicates and that all of the signatories are licensed cabbies. If the minimum hold up, the city council's Transportation Committee has 60 days to old hearings on a fare increase.

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