De Blasio Has No Plans To Step-In As Yellow Cabs Face Competition From Ride Apps
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) --Mayor Bill de Blasio said the city will not intervene, as yellow cabs struggle to compete with ride-sharing apps like Uber and Lyft.
Bhairavi Desai runs the New York Taxi Workers Alliance and said the battle for fares isn't necessarily about Uber versus the yellow cabs.
"You're working longer hours and it's harder to earn a living, and that's whether you're driving a yellow cab or driving for Uber or Lyft," she said.
Cabbies told 1010 WINS' Andrew Falzone that they don't want to ban the smart car services, they should just have to follow the same rules as yellow cabs.
"It's unfair. We have a lot of regulation on yellow cab drivers, but Uber they got phone they're using everything you know," one driver said.
"They don't get nothing from the police. As soon as it is early morning you will see the police just chasing yellow cabs," another driver added.
The value of a city-issued taxi medallion has dropped as competition surfaced in the form of Uber and other apps.
Medallion prices reached $1.3-million in 2014, but have recently been available for as little as $250,000.