New York City mayor Bill de Blasio has dropped his plan to cap the number of new Uber drivers in New York City, after a media onslaught from the aggressive start-up.
The city will still conduct a four-month study on the environmental and traffic impact of Uber and other car service apps, but won’t limit the number of cars on its platform in the meantime, according to the New York Times.
The De Blasio administration told Quartz last month that the mayor’s aim was to control the influx of new cars that are choking New York’s already congested streets. But de Blasio drew ire from Uber supporters who accused the mayor and city council of blindly doing the bidding of the city’s powerful taxi industry, which has been hurt by Uber’s rapid rise.
Uber also mounted a powerful social media campaign, replete with a feature on its app warning of an Uber-less New York City future, offering free rides to protests, asking users to email the mayor, and celebrity pleas from the likes of Neil Patrick Harris and Kate Upton.
New York governor Andrew Cuomo, a frequent de Blasio antagonist, came to Uber’s defense on a radio show earlier today, saying the mayor’s proposal would crimp job creation and economic growth.
City officials told the New York Times a cap could still happen at a later date. And Uber is fighting other regulatory crackdowns in cities all around the world.
But for this round, it’s Uber: 1, NYC: 0.