The city of New York has deemed Uber drivers who are “cruising” on the road in search of a passenger as the primary cause of congestion.
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New York has brought up new laws that will restrict the amount of time Uber drivers can spend on the road without having passengers in the car. This new law requires the Uber drivers to leave the busy areas of Manhattan if there is not a strong requirement for alternative taxi services.
According to the changes, Uber drivers can spend no more than 31 percent of their time looking for rides, which represents a drop of about 10 percent of what was earlier allowed.
Uber drivers will now have to keep moving rather than parking to wait for fares. According to Reuters, Uber is fighting back with New York on the new rules.
Uber says “The rule would threaten the viability of the ride-sharing model as it currently exists, jeopardizing the benefits this model has created for riders and drivers”.
A spokesperson for New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio says that the changes would “bring needed relief to congested streets and hardworking drivers”.
The case comes when Uber is struggling with an uncertain week in the U.K. The license for Uber to operate in London expires on Wednesday. Uber has previously been banned from serving in the British capital by transport regulators, on the basis of security concerns.
Major cities in the world will have their eyes on what follows in New York and London as ride-sharing apps continue to grow in popularity.