Reuters

Chicago opened a new front in the war on ridesharing services like Uber, approving a plan to sponsor an app for riders to hail local cabs. 

Chicago appears to be the only major city to agree to develop its own app, although New York City Council Member Ben Kallos this week proposed a similar app. The Chicago move also represents a political push from the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), a union which has organised drivers in two cities so far.