A bill that requires the city to study the impact of for-hire cars like Uber on traffic jams was signed into law by Mayor Bill de Blasio Monday.
City Hall had originally hoped to cap the number of black and livery cars on the road while the analysis was being conducted — but the proposal was tabled in the City Council following opposition to it that included Gov. Andrew Cuomo, City Comptroller Scott Stringer, and a TV ad campaign by Uber.
Uber also fought the cap by encouraging app users to send messages to City Hall that said it would worsen passenger waits and take away jobs for future drivers.
The study will take four months, and the city can still consider a cap following the analysis. More than 23,000 for-hire cars have been added in New York City since 2011.
Last month, the de Blasio administration said it had reached a deal with Uber that benefitted the city. The company agreed to discussions about making its vehicles more handicap-accessible and contributing to the city’s mass transit system, as yellow cabs do according to Mayor’s office spokesman Wiley Norvell.
Uber also said that it would maintain its current rate of growth.
“I am proud of the deal that we have been able to come to and look forward to evaluating the results of this study,” said Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez, who introduced the legislation and chairs the transportation committee.
