Hail a New York taxis on 5th Avenue, arm in the air, staring at those instantly recognisable yellow vehicles, in the hope of getting to that strategic customer meeting on time. Or call out to the same vehicle - in the same colour - with a few flicks of the thumb from their smartphone. From now on, business travellers will be able to choose between the two booking methods, thanks to an agreement that transforms yesterday's competitors into tomorrow's partners.
The agreement is due to come into force in during the spring - At the end of the mid-May is being discussed - and should eventually make 100 % New York taxis available on the Uber platform. The American platform has reached an agreement with the booking systems that list New York taxis, namely CMT and Curb. From the point of view of business travellers, this simplifies and expands the possibilities of urban mobility. Unlike a taxi stopped in the street, the customer will know in advance how much their journey will cost. As for the drivers, they will be free not to accept journeys for which the anticipated fare does not seem attractive. Above all, their income will respect the fares imposed by the Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC).
Uber has a long history of partnering with the taxi industry to provide drivers with more income and passengers with another transport option
" Uber has a long history of partnering with the taxi industry to provide drivers with more income and passengers with another transport option "says Andrew Macdonald, Senior VP Mobility at Uber. " Our taxi partnerships look different all over the world, and we are delighted to be teaming up with taxi software companies CMT and Curb, which will benefit taxi drivers and all New Yorkers. "he continues.
Since Uber's arrival on the international scene, the American giant's relations with local taxis have regularly been "turbulent". And public authorities have sometimes sanctioned or even tried to ban the American platform. However, Uber points out that it has reached good understanding agreements with taxis in many business destinations. For example, Uber has integrated the taxi offer into four Spanish towns (Madrid, Málaga, Valencia and Barcelona), and offers the UberTaxi in almost all German cities where the platform is present, in partnership with some 1,000 taxis. In Asia, Uber has teamed up with SK Telecom to operate the UT offering in South Korea, and last August acquired Hong Kong's leading e-taxi application, HK Taxi.
London also endorses Uber, until further noticeThe normalisation of Uber's relations with taxis and local authorities is also at work in France. United Kingdom. The VTC platform has faced several attacks there in recent years threatening its ability to operate in London. But the latest episode in this series of twists and turns has turned out in Uber's favour. On 26 March, the VTC platform congratulated itself on obtaining a new operating licence. Signed by Transports for London (TfL), which grants Uber a further thirty months presence in the British capital. " We are delighted that TfL has granted us a licence to continue operating in London for the first time since our launch ten years ago. "said Jamie Heywood, Regional General Manager for UK, Northern & Eastern Europe.
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