NYTWA Statement on Uber Suing NYC to Stop Vehicle Cap

On February 15, 2019 Uber sued New York City to stop the cap on for-hire-vehicles.

Bhairavi Desai, Executive Director of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance (she/her), released the following statement: 

"Eight drivers have now died by suicide because of the crisis Uber created. That's why Uber drivers and yellow cab drivers from across the city united to win the historic cap on for-hire-vehicles -- to put an end to the financial despair, debt, and poverty that is literally killing our brothers.  With more than 80,000 Uber cars on our roads, no driver can get enough fares to feed our families. Uber created this crisis of congestion on our streets. Uber caused this crisis of plummeting incomes for all drivers. And Uber is worsening the MTA crisis, siphoning income away from public transit by subsidizing its passenger fares. 

"Yet, here and across the globe, Uber thinks it is above the law. The company wants the right to add more and more cars to our streets without limit. But there is a very human cost to Uber's business practices. Uber is arguing that the congestion surcharge on taxis, something the company lobbied for, makes the cap unnecessary. But Uber created this congestion. Uber's logic is a real head scratcher. The absurdity would be laughable if the consequences on drivers hadn't been so tragic."