The New York City Council is considering measures aimed at curbing the growth of ride-hailing services such as Uber and Lyft as they examine what impact the companies might have on issues including congestion.
The council is considering five different bills, including one where the city would temporarily halt issuing new licenses allowing for-hire drivers to operate as a year-long study on how services like Uber and Lyft are affecting the area is conducted. The lone exception would be wheelchair-accessible vehicles.
Another draft proposal calls for minimum payments to for-hire drivers as well as exploring minimum fares for rides. In one other proposal, a high-volume transportation license for companies serving more than 10,000 trips a day would be introduced.
In a statement, Uber said any cap on the number of for-hire drivers operating in New York won't fix issues such as increased congestion. Uber also launched a campaign including TV spots encouraging New Yorkers to reach out to council members and speak out against the proposals.
The proposals arrive as concerns mount over whether Uber, Lyft and related ride-hailing services make traffic worse. A study published Wednesday by Schaller Consulting, a firm specializing in urban transportation policy, said ride-hailing services make traffic worse, even when factoring in carpool options such as UberPool and Lyft Shared Rides aimed at reducing congestion.
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Source: USA Today
