NYC strikes Uber deal: No cap on company growth during study
NYC strikes Uber deal: No cap on company growth during study
New York City and Uber have struck a deal on the eve of a City Council vote that could have placed a cap on the number of cars the ride-hailing company can have on the streets of the nation's largest city. Mayor Bill de Blasio's administration announced late Wednesday that Uber agreed to a four-month study on the impact of the cars on traffic and the environment. Under the deal, the city will not cap Uber's growth during those four months. The agreement contrasts sharply with the legislation that the council was set to vote on Thursday, which called for a 1 percent cap on the San Francisco-based company's growth in New York City during a yearlong study. Uber has steadfastly opposed any cap, and the company and City Hall had traded increasingly nasty barbs over the past week.
Uber will share information for the study above and beyond what has previously been provided, with safeguards to protect privacy.
First Deputy Mayor Anthony Shorris, in charge at City Hall as de Blasio returns from a conference at the Vatican
But the hostilities were set aside to announce the surprise arrangement, which also included a commitment to turn over far more data to the city on the location and duration of Uber's rides. The company also agreed to work toward making more of its vehicles handicap-accessible and contributing to the region's mass-transit network. City officials said the deal was reminiscent of what the de Blasio administration offered Uber early in the negotiating process. They said a cap could still be imposed if Uber reneges on the agreement. In pushing for a cap, the de Blasio administration cited concern about increased congestion on Manhattan's clogged streets.