For the last 4 years, Uber has prided itself on building out the most reliable,
affordable ground transportation platform in New York. And today, almost
1 million New Yorkers depend on Uber to get around our great city.
The taxi industry is trying to put an end to this progress. Under the guise of a congestion study, they have convinced Mayor De Blasio to put forth a protectionist, anticompetitive bill that freezes the amount of Uber cars on the road. If the City Council passes this bill tomorrow, the Uber you’ve come to know and rely on will no longer exist.
The
New York Daily News,
New York Post,
Newsday, and nearly everyone else who has looked at the bill opposes it, including
NYC Comptroller, Scott Stringer, and Brooklyn Borough President, Eric
Adams. As
The New York Times put it: “it’s a bad idea.”
Why is this bill such a bad idea?
More riders without more drivers. Every month, 100,000 New Yorkers take
their first Uber ride. This bill only allows 16 new Uber drivers to be
added per month. There is no way 16 new drivers can accommodate those
100,000 new riders.
Uber will be TWICE as expensive, HALF as reliable.
If the supply of cars cannot increase to meet that demand, prices will
have to rise dramatically to keep Uber reliable. If prices remain stable
then Uber becomes just like the taxi system, unavailable when you need
one, during rush hour, when it’s raining, or when you’re out
on the town.
The outer-boroughs lose BIG.
When there are not enough Ubers, drivers will naturally retreat to Manhattan.
There will be significantly fewer pickups in the boroughs, and many borough
residents will be left stranded.
10,000 more New Yorkers unemployed.
Uber was expecting to add 10,000 new drivers to the industry over the
next year. That’s 10k new jobs that the city could use. That’s
10k unemployed who could use a job. Those drivers will remain unemployed
if this bill passes.
So why is the Mayor pushing this bill?
The taxi industry
funded the Mayor’s campaign with over $500,000 and are demanding action to
protect their interests. We believe that if the Mayor and city council understand how important
an affordable, reliable Uber alternative is to New Yorkers, that they
will change course for the better.
The most powerful voices in this debate are
yours, and we need your help to stop this bill.
Everyone deserves a reliable ride regardless of where they come from, or
where they are going. It is time to hold Mayor de Blasio and the City
Council accountable—to demand that they put the interests of the
public before the interests of their biggest donors.
Thank you for your support,
Josh Mohrer