Vugo is a Midwest-based tech startup that allows drivers for ride-sharing services, such as Uber and Lyft, to make extra money by displaying advertising and other media on tablet devices in their vehicles.
Vugo has seen success in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Minneapolis – but not in Chicago. That is because the City of Chicago has banned commercial advertising in and on ride-sharing vehicles – even though it does not ban ads in or on taxis or ordinary passenger vehicles – effectively making Vugo’s service illegal.
Chicago’s advertising ban has also affected Chicago resident Patricia Page. She received a citation for violating the advertising ban because she used her car – which had decals advertising her face-painting business on the side and back – to drive part-time for Uber.
The Liberty Justice Center is representing Vugo, Patricia, and other ride-share drivers in a federal lawsuit challenging Chicago’s ban on commercial advertising in and on ride-sharing vehicles for violating their constitutional rights to free speech and equal protection under the law.
