After years of tension, the famous yellow taxis and the VTC application seem to have reached an agreement. Uber will host the already existing New York taxi booking software, which was previously a competitor of the platform, on its application, a spokesperson said, confirming information from the Wall Street Journal.
Faced with competition from VTCs, New York taxis had launched their own reservation applications, CMT, Arro and Curb, which will now be part of the Uber application. “We are excited to partner with software vendors CMT and Curb, which will benefit taxi drivers and all New Yorkers,” said Andrew Macdonald, vice president of Uber.
The fares for a taxi ride booked through the platform will be roughly the same as those charged for the basic Uber X formula, the group told the financial daily.
More ride-hailing in New York
The arrival of Uber in New York in 2011 transformed the transport industry, as in many other cities around the world, and put pressure on yellow taxis, which until now benefited from a quasi- monopoly. The city has since seen the number of taxis remain almost unchanged, around 14,000, but the number of tourist vehicles with driver (VTC) explode, to the point that the municipality had to freeze, in 2018, the granting of licenses, whose number had exceeded 120,000.
The coronavirus pandemic and the fall in traffic subsequently particularly penalized New York taxis, already in difficulty. Uber, for its part, is looking to increase the size of its platform and the services it offers, from taxis to meal delivery, via Uber Eats in order to promote its growth.