A groundbreaking partnership between long lasting competitors, Uber & taxi technology system provider Creative Mobile Technologies (CMT), was just announced as of today.
The two companies have been in a constant battle for ridership since Uber became such a utilized transportation company, but the feud may finally come to an end.
The “first-in-the-nation deal” will allow New Yorkers to e-hail a yellow taxi through their Uber app. With this partnership, taxi drivers will be able to access Uber’s large customer base, ultimately increasing their fare volume and revenue.
The “synergy” between the two companies first began in 2021 when CMT started servicing 3,500 vehicle taxitop contract for Uber’s out-of-home advertising company, Uber OOH. This continued business relationship led to “the taxi industry and Uber to rethink their rivalry and instead focus on shared goals for New Yorkers.”
“As businesses bring their employees back, as tourists flock to New York City again and as New Yorkers start going out and replenishing our local economy after a devastating pandemic, yellow taxis and Uber are bringing the best our industries have to offer to help this city get back on its feet,” said Ron Sherman, Chairman of Creative Mobile Technologies and a pioneer in the taxi industry.
The official deal is expected to begin in beta this spring, with hopes to expand to the public by summer 2022.
Taxi drivers will no longer “have to worry about finding a fare during off peak times or getting a street hail back to Manhattan when in the outerboroughs,” said Guy Peterson, Director of Business Development for Uber. Uber-originated fares will now be displayed on taxi drivers’ monitors that have already been in use from the Arro taxi app that helped service ehails.
The partnership won’t only benefit drivers, but passengers as well. Riders who have the Uber app will now gain access to thousands of yellow taxi cabs on the CMT/Arro platform. This expansion in vehicle access will ultimately increase riders transportation choice.
According to the press release, “the deal was designed by CMT and Uber to be a seamless experience for both the passenger and driver.”
“We are especially grateful to the Taxi and Limousine Commission for smartly creating the E-hail and Flex-Fare programs which recognized the changing face of the rideshare, for-hire-vehicle and taxi industries a few years ago,” said Sherman. “We look forward to a new and more prosperous chapter where passengers and drivers are empowered with choice and which will lead to a sustainable future for all our industries.”