(Bloomberg) -- Uber and Lyft drivers brought traffic on a busy New York roadway close to a standstill on Tuesday in a protest over pay and working conditions, CNBC and local media reported.
A video from local media showed traffic stalled on the FDR Drive during the morning rush as the drivers moved in a slow caravan.
The drivers were on their way to Gracie Mansion, the mayor's official residence, to ask the city to do more to protect drivers, NY1 reported.
Uber's move to restrict the number of drivers who can go online at one time in low-demand areas is in response to city regulations.
“We have said for months that the unintended consequence of regulations will be less driver flexibility, and the changes to the app are a direct result of the Mayor's regulations,” Uber spokesman Harry Hartfield said on the phone to Bloomberg.
Lyft enacted the same legislation back in June. Since then, drivers had the tendency to turn to Uber when they were in low-demand areas, according to Hartfield. “We were getting punished for not doing this [enacting regulation],” Hartfield said.
To contact the reporter on this story: Erin Mcclam in New York at emcclam@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Sebastian Tong at stong41@bloomberg.net, Katerina Petroff
©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
Essential Business Intelligence, Continuous LIVE TV, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.
