Uber on Thursday announced a new partnership in New York City that will let its users hail the city's taxicabs through its app, and let drivers of these traditional taxis accept rides from Uber's customers. The move potentially offers Uber users a slew of new drivers in the city and drivers access to more customers.
In New York City, in particular, ridehailing platforms also have a unique and complicated history, marked by a number of high-profile regulatory battles and tensions with the traditional taxi industry.Ridehailing giants like Uber's forays into New York City upended the long-standing taxi medallion system — a market created by regulators and the private sector that oversaw the city's official taxi industry by selling or loaning these limited and licensed medallions to drivers.