Uber partners with yellow taxi companies in NYC

New Yorkers who request a ride through the Uber app can opt for a yellow cab under a new partnership between Ryde-Hill and two taxi tech companies.

Uber said the taxi option will start later this spring and will be available to all Uber riders in New York City.

According to Uber, Uber riders will pay roughly the same price as a yellow taxi as they would in an UberX, the basic single ride. They’ll get a price up front in the app before they order the ride, as they currently do with all Uber rides.

Yellow taxi drivers who respond to the Uber app will also see the pricing of the ride up front and under the deal they will have the option to accept or decline it. The partnership between Uber and taxi companies Curb and CMT was first reported Thursday by the Wall Street Journal.

The Uber-taxi partnership comes at a time when the yellow taxi industry has been under siege in New York City Destroyed by the coronavirus pandemic As more people worked from home and many tourists stayed away.

But even before the pandemic, taxi drivers were losing wages for ride-app services offered by Uber’s and Lyft and facing financial ruin after take out loans To buy medals – city passes required to own a yellow taxi – at inflated prices.

Uber has faced its own challenges during the pandemic, as it has been struggling to find enough drivers to meet demand. The new partnership will help alleviate the shortage and generate more revenue for the company as it gets a fee for every flight ordered through its app.

City officials said the new Uber-Taxi partnership does not require approval by the city’s Taxi and Limousine Commission, which oversees the taxi industry, although the agency will still oversee rules covering hired drivers.

New Yorkers will still be able to catch yellow taxis on the street.

Uber said it will provide more details about the taxi option in the coming months. Uber already has partnerships with taxi fleets and tech companies in other global cities, allowing Uber riders to order taxis on the app.

“Uber has a long history of partnering with the taxi industry to provide drivers with more ways to earn money and passengers with another transportation option,” said Andrew MacDonald, Uber’s senior vice president of mobility and commercial operations. “Our partnerships with taxis look different around the world, and we are excited to collaborate with taxi software companies CMT and Curb, which will benefit taxi drivers and all New Yorkers.”