BEARS: Arlington Heights bid forces a tough negotiation with Chicago officials. PAGE 3
JOE CAHILL: A voice is missing in Illinoisâ energy debate. PAGE 4
CHICAGOBUSINESS.COM | JUNE 21, 2021 | $3.50
WHY YOU CANâT GET A RIDE IN CHICAGO Slow return of drivers explains long waits and high prices
active ride-hailing drivers on the road at the end of April 2021, down 60 percent from April 2019. There are 1,000 active cabbiesâa decrease of 82 percent from 2019. But those numbers represent a big jump from the early weeks of COVID stay-at-home orders. In April 2020, there were only 15,000 active ridehail drivers and just 700 cabbies. See DRIVERS on Page 19
JOHN R. BOEHM
AS CHICAGOANS RETURN to offices, restaurants and airports, some have griped of trouble hailing once-ubiquitous cabs downtown, as well as long wait times and higher prices for rideshare services. In part, the trouble reflects a mismatch in supply and demand: Drivers arenât returning as fast as customers. The cityâs Department of Business Affairs & Consumer Protection estimates there were 27,000
BY A.D. QUIG
Can Insight stop the bleeding at Mercy?
NEIGHBORHOOD INVESTMENT
New owner has ideas for struggling safety net BY STEPHANIE GOLDBERG
A SECOND CHANCE FOR
Money is vital to any community revitalization. Hereâs what else is needed, as seen through this beleaguered neighborhood. PAGE 13
JOHN R. BOEHM
AUSTIN
The sale of Mercy Hospital & Medical Center entrusts one of Chicagoâs most vulnerable hospitals to a Michigan biotechnology firm with no experience running a full-service hospital. Insight Chicago paid $1 to buy struggling Mercy from Catholic hospital chain Trinity Health. The newly formed nonprofit entity is owned by neurosurgeon Dr. Jawad Shah, 54, who also runs the
Insight Institute of Neurosurgery & Neuroscience, which operates outpatient programs and a 20bed surgical hospital in Michigan. With 412 beds on Chicagoâs South Side, Mercy presents challenges that Insight hasnât faced in its home state. The hospital serves large numbers of low-income patients on Medicaid, which pays hospitals far less than private insurers. See MERCY on Page 28
NEWSPAPER l VOL. 44, NO. 25 l COPYRIGHT 2021 CRAIN COMMUNICATIONS INC. l ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
CHICAGO BOOTH INSIGHTS Doing good doesnât have to hurt the bottom line. PAGE 8
P001_CCB_20210621.indd 1
MCDONALDâS Speeding up the drive-thru: Would you like privacy with that? PAGE 2
6/18/21 2:52 PM