Several drivers employed by the popular “ridesharing” service UberX were ticketed and towed by hack inspectors outside the Fannie Mae building on Wisconsin Avenue Northwest on Wednesday night, in another dispute pitting the tech company against District regulators. 

The UberX drivers actually were ticketed following complaints that they were soliciting street hails outside the Tenleytown offices, a popular pickup spot for the on-demand, app-based vehicle-for-hire service. Uber contends its drivers were responding to rides ordered through its app.

"This is clearly an abuse of power and a deliberate attempt by law enforcement to harass small business owners trying to make a living," said Uber spokesman Taylor Bennett.

"The DCTC should focus on better serving their own customers, rather than wasting our city's resources and tax dollars in an effort to restrict competition and choice," he added.

The D.C. Taxicab Commission denies Uber’s allegation that its inspectors were involved in a sting operation. A property owner in the 4000 block of Wisconsin Avenue Northwest called to complain that “rideshare” drivers, who are not allowed to pick up street hails, were becoming a nuisance, according to a commission spokesman.

Taxicab commission chairman Ron Linton issued a statement blasting Uber’s claims.

"Uber's statements are specious and combative. This was a standard patrol operation responding to complaints that unmarked vehicles purportedly working for Uber were soliciting street hails. If the drivers disagree with the tickets issued they can present their cases in court," Linton said.

Drivers interviewed at the scene by WUSA 9 Wednesday night said they were not soliciting street hails. One driver said he received three tickets totaling $2100 in fines after an inspector told him he was operating illegally without the proper license or insurance.

"Before I had driven two yards the police stopped me and they told my passenger to get out of the car," said Thomas Rossetti, a stay-at-home dad who drives part-time for UberX to supplement his household’s income.

"It's a lot of money. This is a big surprise to be issued with a ticket and be told that it is illegal,” said Rossetti, who was ticketed for failure to maintain a passenger manifest ($100), failure to have proper insurance ($1,000), and operating as an illegal taxicab ($1,000).

The taxicab commission said 11 total tickets were written for several drivers between 4 and 8 p.m. at the Wisconsin Ave. location.

UberX, whose drivers use their personal vehicles as unlicensed taxis, is more discount cab service than traditional ridesharing. The service has rankled regulators and metered taxicab drivers since exploding in popularity in Washington over the past year.

More than a thousand cabbies have entered a partnership with the Teamsters union to pressure elected officials and regulators to impose restrictions on the "ridesharing" competition. Regulators say UberX and similar services such as Lyft and Sidecar are illegal because they are neither licensed nor insured like regular taxicabs.

"We have legislation coming forward. All of these services will operate legally in the District of Columbia,” said D.C. Council member Mary Cheh, the chair of the council's transportation committee.

Cheh’s proposal would create a structure within which UberX would operate and compete with D.C. taxicabs, but she concedes her bill will leave all sides at least a little unhappy. At issue is what level of liability insurance should be required of “rideshare” drivers and their companies.

“Sometimes I have the app-based services yelling at me and sometimes the taxis are yelling at me, but we are working it out. But at the end of the day we will have something that makes a lot of sense,” Cheh said.

Uber has objected to proposals to make drivers carry 24/7 commercial liability insurance. Cheh is leaning toward placing the onus on Uber to provide such coverage when its UberX drivers are logged in to the app and on the road cruising for rides.