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Creative Mobile Technologies (CMT), the company responsible for the technology systems for the more than 13,000 New York City taxis, said that passengers can now book the iconic yellow taxis through the Uber app after CMT gained access to Uber’s customer base. The partnership comes as Uber struggled to meet demands and taxi drivers were swallowed by debt during the pandemic.
“This is a real win for drivers – no longer do they have to worry about finding a fare during off peak times or getting a street hail back to Manhattan when in the outerboroughs,” Guy Peterson, Uber’s director of business development, said in a statement. “And this is a real win for riders.”
CMT says that customers will have access to thousands of yellow taxis starting this summer, and taxi drivers will also see Uber-originated fares on their monitors.
For years, taxi drivers worldwide have been protesting Uber for crashing their market. When COVID-19 struck, taxi drivers were severely hit, and New York City set up a program to help with the debt. However, drivers expressed that this was not enough. Last October, they led a weeks-long hunger strike to demand more relief.
But now, as the COVID restrictions subside, the partnership between Uber and New York’s taxis may be coming at the right time.
“New York City is back!” Ron Sherman, CMT’s chairman, said. “As businesses bring their employees back, as tourists flock to New York City again, and as New Yorkers start going out and replenishing our local economy after a devastating pandemic, yellow taxis and Uber are bringing the best our industries have to offer to help this city get back on its feet.
