NYC Council Considers Cap on Ride-Hailing Vehicles

The New York City Council is considering legislation that would place a cap on the number of vehicles allowed in the city for ride-hailing, NY 1 reports.

Currently, there are more than 100,000 ride-haling vehicles in New York City, up from 63,000 in 2015. The New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) claim that those vehicles made 17 million trips in February 2018. At the same time, medallion-owning taxis made 8.5 million trips during the same time period, down from 11 million two years earlier.

Some city officials have said that the increasing number of ride-hailing vehicles have contributed to an increase in congestion on city streets.

In a blog post, Uber said that while some of the bills put forward by the City Council to regulate ride-hailing are worthwhile, this particular legislation will make Uber less reliable and more expensive. Uber also claims that the current proposed legislation will allow the TLC to set the prices passengers pay for Uber rides.

The NYC Council wants to pass new regulations that could make your Uber less reliable and more expensive. Tell the Council: #DontStrandNYC pic.twitter.com/jlOKqwqFgH

— Uber (@Uber) July 26, 2018

On its advocacy page, Lyft officials said that if the legislation passes, there could be at least 25% fewer Lyft drivers on the road.  

Both Uber and Lyft said that during peak hours, wait times will increase and prices will spike, especially outside Manhattan.

Voicing his support for the proposed legislation in an interview with NY 1, NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio cited a study by the University of California, Berkeley that showed that most ride-hailing drivers earn below minimum wage. De Blasio also said that the constant introduction of more drivers into the market leave a lot of “empty vehicles circling around for no purpose.”

The New York City Council will vote on the legislation next week.