The New York City Council is expected to vote on two measures as early as at their Aug. 8 stated meeting on two measures that will handicap the growth of ride-hailing apps such as Uber and Lyft.
But Uber is fighting back with an ad campaign and statistics that point to a growing number of outer borough pick-ups in neighborhoods with underserved mass transit, and where few traditional for hire vehicles tread to go.
The City Council measures include Int, 144, which would halt the issuance of new for-hire vehicle licenses, except for vehicles that are wheelchair accessible, while the city conducts a yearlong study of the industry.
“This bill is a thoughtful and measured response to the impact our community has experienced in the past few years. The fact is an average of 2,000 new vehicles are added to the streets each month, over-saturating the market and making it difficult for drivers to earn a decent living in New York,” said City Council Member Stephen Levin (D-Northern Brooklyn, Boerum Hill), the bill’s sponsor.
“The Taxi industry has had caps on vehicles for over 70 years — it’s time we bring some balance to the system and stand up to private interests flooding our streets with more vehicles. In the past few years alone, the number of TLC-licensed vehicles has almost doubled, from 74,000 in 2014 to 130,000 vehicles today. If we continue to let drivers struggle to pay their rent and turn a blind eye to growing congestion, we are failing to doing our job as elected officials,” he added.
City Council Member Brad Lander (D-Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Kensington) sponsored the second measure, 890-A, which calls for the city to establish minimum pay rates for drivers for apps like Uber and Lyft, who are not protected by minimum wage laws.
“[I am] proud that my bill to make NYC the first major U.S. city to establish a minimum pay standard (essentially, a living wage requirement) for Uber/Lyft drivers is part of the City Council’s much-needed package on for-hire vehicles,” said Lander in a Facebook post.
“My bill to establish a pay standard for Uber/Lyft drivers is part of our broader work to raise-the-floor for workers in the gig-economy, which we launched back in 2016,” he added in the post.
“The City Council’s Uber cap will leave New Yorkers stranded while doing nothing to prevent congestion, fix the subways, and help struggling taxi medallion owners. The Council’s cap will hurt riders outside Manhattan who have come to rely on Uber because their communities have long been ignored by yellow taxis and do not have reliable access to public transit.”
Uber has countered with a comprehensive radio, email and social media campaign to explaining how the cap would affect communities of color and riders in the outer boroughs, where the majority of Uber trips are happening.
The shared economy company also reports that UberPOOL use is spiking in corners of the city that the subway does not reach.
“The City Council’s Uber cap will leave New Yorkers stranded while doing nothing to prevent congestion, fix the subways, and help struggling taxi medallion owners. The Council’s cap will hurt riders outside Manhattan who have come to rely on Uber because their communities have long been ignored by yellow taxis and do not have reliable access to public transit,” said Uber Spokesperson Danielle Filson.
In regard to Lander’s measure establishing minimum pay rates for ride-hailing apps, Filson said, “We believe that all full-time drivers in NYC – taxi, limousine and Uber alike – should be able to make a living wage and support their families.”
