Mayor Bill de Blasio is no fan of Donald Trump, but he’s not sure the city can do anything about its existing contracts with the Republican presidential candidate, who on Saturday derided Senator John McCain’s service during the Vietnam War.
Advertisement
“When your proposal to cap Uber was introduced, your administration said it was about congestion”.
One of Ubers’ latest, controversial ads is titled, “Don’t let Mayor de Blasio strand New Yorkers”. Uber, however, accuses the mayor of being in the back pocket of the yellow taxi industry, attempting to stifle free enterprise and innovation while hurting the low-income neighborhoods that make up the core of his political support.
The New York City mayor wants to suspend the company’s growth for a year, while the city conducts an impact study on Uber.
On Monday, De Blasio also took the opportunity to blast Trump for his comments over the weekend that Sen. “It’s not progressive and not right”. The City Council is expected to weigh the proposal this week. Uber, which opposes all limits to its growth, is against the measure.
Louis Lanzano/for New York Daily News “Whether it’s improving accessibility, supporting mass transit or increasing transparency, we are eager to further discuss how we can collaborate”, Josh Mohrer (c.), general manager of Uber, says in an open letter.
The vote on the the growth cap could come as early as Thursday.
“More than 2,000 fore-hire vehicles are being added to our streets every month, overwhelming the most congested parts of Manhattan”, de Blasio wrote.
De Blasio wrote that he would also like to see Uber contribute to the MTA and be held to the same handicap accessibility standards as the yellow cab companies.
“We are already seeing traffic speeds in Manhattan falling”, said Shorris.
Amid a new cycle of Uber ads hinting at discrimination by New York City’s cabbies, taxi drivers and other groups flocked to the steps of City Hall to protest Monday. Passengers deserve more and better service – and new companies like Uber are helping provide it. There are and will continue to be more for-hire cars and drivers on our roads than at any time in our history.
De Blasio addressed critics of his housing policy in remarks he made Monday at an affordable-housing site in the Bronx.
For liberal de Blasio, Uber raises questions about whether drivers are getting adequate compensation and whether their “surge-pricing” at peak hours is unfair to riders.
David Plouffe, the former Obama campaign manager who works on Uber’s policy and strategy division, is reported to be persuading Reverend Al Sharpton to oppose the for-hire vehicle cap.
Picking a fight with Uber has the potential to seriously damage de Blasio’s polling numbers, since the company has the money and PR know-how to launch a smear campaign. It is perhaps not a coincidence that Uber sent out the letter minutes before an unrelated press conference de Blasio hosted.
Advertisement
And a “de Blasio” tab has been added to the Uber app to show users the extra waiting time that they can expect to endure if the bill limiting expansion of FHVs wins approval.
