Uber signs peace with taxis in New York

(ats) The giant passenger vehicles with driver (VTC) will welcome on its application the already existing New York taxi reservation software, which until now was competitors of Uber, said a spokesperson.

Fares for a taxi ride booked through the platform will be roughly the same as those charged for the basic Uber X formula, the group told the Wall Street Journal. Uber users will know, before booking, that a trip is offered to them with a taxi and will know the price in advance, unlike a classic trip whose bill depends on the meter.

Applications dedicated to taxis already offered to know the price in advance. Taxi drivers will also see the fare in advance and will have the choice to accept or refuse it.

Their remuneration will respect the legal minimum introduced by the city of New York for passenger vehicles with driver (VTC) since 2018, said Uber.

New Yorkers will still be able to hail a taxi in the streets, yellow vehicles (and green for those operating outside Manhattan) remaining the only ones authorized for marauding, that is to say driving without a customer on board.

“Any proposal to connect passengers more easily with taxis excites us,” responded the head of New York’s taxi regulatory authority, the Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC), in a statement.

The arrival of Uber in New York in 2011 transformed the transport industry, as in many other cities around the world, and put pressure on yellow taxis, which had hitherto benefited from a quasi- monopoly.

The city has since seen the number of taxis remain almost unchanged, around 14,000, but that of VTCs explode, to the point that the municipality had to freeze, in 2018, the granting of licenses, the number of which had exceeded 120′ 000.

To foster its growth, Uber is looking to increase the size of its platform and the services it offers, from taxis to food delivery, via Uber Eats. The San Francisco giant had already integrated taxis in several countries, notably in Germany, Turkey and Spain.

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