Uber to rev up hiring in Chicago

Rideshare company Uber Technologies plans to ramp up hiring for its Chicago office during the next two years.

Uber says it plans to add 425 people in Chicago, the company’s Midwest headquarters, by the end of 2016. The San Francisco-based company employs 75 people at its West Loop office.

Uber and other rideshare companies have come under increasing pressure in Chicago and elsewhere from taxi companies. Chicago in May approved regulations for rideshare companies that the taxi lobby dismissed as too little.

The rules create a two-tier system that allows part-time drivers to bypass rigid screening, and prohibits rideshare companies from picking up street hails or riders at McCormick Place, O’Hare and Midway airports. What the rules don’t do is regulate rideshare fares and surge pricing, and they don’t restrict the number of companies, vehicles or drivers that can operate on city streets.

Also Tuesday, Uber agreed to cap its price increases during bad weather and other emergencies to meet New York’s law against price gouging. The company is expected to apply those caps nationwide.

Uber upped pressure Monday on New York City taxis, announcing a temporary fare cut. The company made a similar move in Chicago last month as well as in Atlanta, Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington D.C.