New York Mayor suspends licensing Uber, Lyft and Via drivers

New York became the first major American city to set limits on the number of licenses for car hire, such as Uber, Lyft and Via. City Mayor Bill de Blasio signed the bill.

Фото: Depositphotos

The law provides for the termination of the issuance of new licenses for the provision of services for the transport of passengers by Uber and other similar organizations, with the exception of vehicles equipped for transportation wheelchairs and people with disabilities.

Such a measure will allow city officials to create a minimum rate for paying drivers.

“We are taking immediate action that will benefit more than 100 working New Yorkers who deserve fair pay,” de Blasio said as he signed the bill.

According to the new law, the minimum wage for taxi drivers, including those working through specified online services, is set at $ 17,22 per hour. If the driver is not able to earn enough money for his shift to meet the minimum, companies must compensate for the difference. Thus, drivers will be guaranteed a stable income.

Previously, representatives of Uber, Lyft and Via were made against this measure, arguing that this will primarily affect the inhabitants of the city, where fewer taxis and public transport options are available.

Lyft vice-president said that this measure will affect residents of New York neighborhoods, who are typically members of national minorities, do not have access to public transport and are often ignored by taxi drivers.

“We will never stop working to ensure New Yorkers have access to reliable and affordable transportation in every district,” he said.

Josh Gold, a spokesman for Uber, said that the limit "would jeopardize one of the few reliable transportation options, doing nothing to update the subway or ease system congestion during rush hour."

The company said it would also contact the owners of vehicles that have licenses, and try to hire them to work in Uber.

With the support restrictions for Uber, Lyft and Via were "classic" taxis and their drivers. In particular, the New York Taxi Drivers Alliance is a union that includes 18 thousands of drivers.

Uber, Lyft and other similar shipping applications are popular in New York. They provide daily over 10 000 trips for commuters.

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