The fierce battle between Uber and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio heats up this week, a fight that could determine the future of the service in the nation’s largest and most ride-dependent city.
The New York City Council is considering legislation, perhaps as soon as Thursday’s meeting, which would cap any additional licenses granted to for-hire vehicles.
Advocates say the moratorium is needed for the city to study Uber’s impact on traffic congestion, air quality, noise and public health. De Blasio has argued that the rapid growth of Uber in the city, at a pace he said amounts to 2,000 new cars a month, is a threat to quality of life.
Uber has taken to airwaves, running ads with people identified as Uber drivers, arguing that the limits on new car licenses would deny them jobs that they need. All the people who appear on screen are minorities.
“I was pretty much struggling to make ends meet,” said one driver identified as Jashiel. “When I finally came to Uber, it was probably the best thing that happened in my life.”
But de Blasio says he’s watching out for Uber drivers themselves by making sure there aren’t too many cars chasing a limited number of rides.
“This industry is evolving so rapidly, with the number of vehicles skyrocketing even as the pool of New Yorkers who can afford to pay $10 or $20 to take car trip is far more limited,” the mayor wrote in an op-ed column in the New York Daily News Sunday.
“There’s a point at which more and more drivers will find themselves fighting over the same group of riders. While we see real benefits to drivers able to supplement their income and work with greater flexibility, we still need basic standards that ensure people who work hard in this sector can earn a decent living,” he continued.
At a press conference Monday deBlasio said there are already many more Uber cars in New York City than there are yellow taxis. And he rejected a suggestion from Uber that he engage in an online debate with them on the measure, saying he doesn’t debate private corporations.
“Uber is a multibillion dollar corporation, and they’re acting like one. They’re looking out for their corporate bottom line,” he said. “They’re putting their profits over all other considerations.”
DeBlasio denied that any current Uber drivers would be hurt by the city legislation.
“All the Uber cars out there will continue, and they will continue to grow, just not as exponentially as they were before,” he said. “And that will give us a chance to come up with appropriate regulations.”
In addition to the television ads, Uber has put a “de Blasio” tab on its app which shows New York riders needing to wait 25 minutes for a car to be available, compared to only a couple of minutes in current conditions.
“This is what Uber will look like in NYC if Mayor de Blasio’s Uber cap bill passes,” said the app. It provides a link for Uber user to email de Blasio and the city council.
Uber and its supporters claim that de Blasio is simply working on behalf of New York’s medallion taxi industry, which reportedly gave hundreds of thousands of dollars to his 2013 election campaign.
“Millionaire medallion owners don’t need help. People like us do,” said another person identified as a Moises in the Uber ad now blanketing New York airwaves.
But Uber has come under attack in mailer ads by the United Spinal Association, which argue the company is not doing enough to assure access to their cars by disabled riders.
“Uber to wheelchair users: Take a hike!” reads the mailer. “If Uber won’t stop for wheelchair users, maybe it’s time we stopped Uber,” reads another.