Uber is making nice with New York City taxis—the ride-hailing app agreed to list the five borough’s roughly 14,000 cabs starting later this spring.
Former foes, Uber and the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) are partnering to ease driver shortages and alleviate high fares, The Wall Street JournalThe Wall Street Journal reported.
Passengers can expect to pay about the same fare for rides in a yellow taxi as a standard UberX. Cabbies, meanwhile, will be able to see expected earnings before a trip and decline rides; Uber drivers do not have the same luxury. Both organizations receive a cut of the fare, though neither specified the terms.
“It’s bigger and bolder than anything we’ve done,” Andrew Macdonald, Uber’s global mobility chief, told WSJ of the alliance. When Uber launched more than 10 years ago, it was set on taking over city streets. Now, post-pandemic, the company has changed its tune and wants to collaborate with taxicabs.
“Our partnerships with the taxi industry look different around the world and as we look at the next five years, we strongly believe that there is no world in which taxis and Uber exist separately,” an Uber spokesperson told TechCrunch. “There is just too much to gain for both sides. Taxis help us unlock new markets. In fact, it’s now our primary product in places like Hong Kong and Turkey.”
The transportation firm last month announced a goal to put every taxi in the world on its app by 2025. “It’s certainly ambitious,” Macdonald said. But “I certainly think it’s possible.”
Neither Uber nor the TLC immediately responded to PCMag’s request for comment.
