Judge Blocks NYC's Law Limiting Uber Drivers ‘Cruising’ for New Passengers
upstart writes in with an IRC submission for SoyCow1337:
Judge blocks NYC's law limiting Uber drivers 'cruising' for new passengers:
New York City's law to limit the amount of time Uber and Lyft drivers can spend cruising for passengers in busy parts of the city is "arbitrary and capricious," a New York State Supreme Court judge ruled Monday.
Last summer, the city's Taxi and Limousine passed rules requiring drivers reduce so-called deadheading - or the amount of time spent without passengers in the car - from 41 percent to 31 percent in Manhattan below 96th Street. The city said it was trying to reduce traffic congestion, which has risen in the years since ride-hailing took off. Uber sued to overturn the law, arguing it threatened driver pay and flexibility.
In his ruling, Judge Lyle E. Frank took issue with the city's definition of "cruising." He said there was "no rational basis" to calculate the time drivers spend looking for new passengers as part of the definition. And there was "scant rationale" for the city's choice of 31 percent as the target for deadheading. Frank annulled the rule, which would have gone into effect starting in February.
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