UberX undercuts New York’s taxi fares
In New York City Uber has (temporarily?) cut prices for its shared-ride service UberX (also known as UberPOP in Europe) by 20%. This means the shared-ride service is effectively undercutting a typical ride with the yellow cabs. Uber’s changed pricing policy was interpreted both as a warning shot for competitor Lyft, who is hoping to enter the New York market and as a clear competitive signal to New York’s cabs. Uber already provides a comprehensive black car-service, with, according to regulator the Taxi & Limousine Commission (TLC), about 7.000 of 15.521 black cars connected to its app. For taxis Uber’s app only proved really popular outside Manhattan, where it is traditionally more difficult to get a yellow cab. In total ‘e-hails’ by app-companies like Hailo, Uber and Taxi Magic only represent 0.45% of all yellow taxi pickups, according to the TLC.
• Uber competes and partners with the yellow cabs in New York.