It would seem that three things in life are certain: death, taxes and New York City’s yellow taxi cabs. Even Uber can’t seem to live without them.
The ride-share company announced this week that it will be making taxi cabs in New York City available for booking rides through its app. This will work by integrating Uber’s software with that of companies like CMT and Curb, which are currently used in 14,000 NYC taxis. Prices for riders will be about the same as an UberX, and the cab drivers will receive the same fare for the ride as a regular Uber driver would. Uber has yet to disclose what percentage of the fare it will take — with Uber drivers, the company usually claims about 20 percent of the fare.
Driver shortages and rising fares were cited as some of the major reasons for this move. “Our partnerships with the taxi industry look different around the world and as we look at the next five years, we strongly believe that there is no world in which taxis and Uber exist separately,” said Uber spokesperson Conor Ferguson. “There is just too much to gain for both sides. Taxis help us unlock new markets. In fact, it’s now our primary product in places like Hong Kong and Turkey.”
