A taxi medallion group wants the city to make it easier for Uber drivers in sleek black cars to go yellow.
The Committee for Taxi Safety, a group of medallion managers behind the “Come Back to the Yellow Taxi Industry,” will petition to allow Toyota Camry hybrids — popular with Uber drivers — to get hacked up as yellow cabs.
Though the petition cites the Camry’s green gas mileage as a way to ease the burden on drivers’ wallets, the Committee’s David Beier said disaffected Uber drivers who bought the model would be able to switch to the yellow cab sector.
“Many of the drivers who are unhappy with Uber would like to come back to the yellow industry,” Beier said. “They can’t get out of those leases because the payments are so high.”
Uber declined to comment. Taxi and Limousine Commission spokesman Allan Fromberg said the Camry was axed from its list of approved models because of its size and passenger comfort.
The petition from the Committee, signed by more than a thousand drivers, will be submitted to the TLC on Monday.
