Uber to List all New York City Taxis on App

By Yehudit Garmaise

Uber will begin listing all New York City taxis on its app starting later in the spring.

With the new alliance with NYC’s famous yellow cabs, the ride-sharing app is hoping to increase its driver pool and lower prices, the Wall Street Journal reported.

When Uber first appeared in New York City, in 2010, the new app vowed to disrupt the taxi industry, but now Uber is counting on the traditional taxis to fuel its next wave of growth.

The New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) hopes to generate more business for taxi drivers, whose livelihoods have not recovered from the emergence of ride-sharing apps and the pandemic, when few New Yorkers were hailing taxis.

“[Uber] has the demand, and [taxi drivers] have the supply, so it made sense for us to start talking about a partnership,” said Ron Sherman, the owner of a taxi-hailing app.

Currently, 14,000 taxis, according to Uber, use taxi-hailing apps, but now Uber will integrate the TLC’s apps’ software with its own. 

“It’s bigger and bolder than anything we’ve done,” said Andrew Macdonald, Uber’s global mobility chief.

By 2025, Uber wants to list every taxi in the world on its app. 

“It’s certainly ambitious,” said Mr. Macdonald, but “I certainly think it’s possible.”

Photo: Flickr