Uber to Partner With New York City Yellow Cabs After a Long-Standing Rivalry

Uber, a company whose very existence is due to its founders’ desire to disrupt the taxi industry, announced a deal to include access to all New York City taxis on its app.  Now the two once bitter rivals are joining forces.

The agreement will enable medallion taxi drivers to both ferry Uber passengers and accept street hails.  Uber drivers cannot accept street hails in the Big Apple.  The move will address the shortage of Uber drivers as well as the dearth of passengers that yellow cabs in the city have seen over the past few years.

The New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission’s two licensed technology partners will integrate Uber’s technology into their taxi management apps’ software. The two companies, Creative Mobile Technologies and Curb Mobility, offer software that is used by the city’s roughly 14,000 taxis, according to Uber. The two companies enable credit-card payments in taxis and run the screens that display the weather, news and ads to riders.

The announcement is the first large-scale agreement of its kind in the country.

The partnership will go into effect later this spring.  Passengers will pay fares based on pricing for the standard Uber X service and in accordance with Uber’s policies, including surge pricing, a phenomenon that can significantly increase the cost of a ride at times.

Medallion taxi drivers, unlike Uber drivers, will see the trip’s price before accepting and, unlike what is the case with Uber drivers, will have the option to reject a trip.

(Photo: Accura Media Group)