NYC Floats Single E-Hail App For Cabs And Uber/Lyft

The New York Daily News reports:

New York City’s ailing taxicab industry may get a boost if a proposed bill gets a green light from the City Council. The legislation would require the city’s Taxi and Limousine Commission to establish a “universal e-hail app” to let riders order from a single app any for-hire vehicle — including taxis and cars that normally drive for Uber or Lyft.

Introduced by Councilman Ben Kallos (D-Manhattan), the bill is like one he pitched in 2014, before Uber raked in a majority of the city’s ride hails.

But with e-hail companies like Uber and Lyft getting three times the rides as yellow and green taxis before the pandemic — and more than eight times the rides as of September — Kallos said it’s high time to level the playing field.

Kallos is my council member.