New York City mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Wednesday that his administration will drop its attempt to punish ridesharing service Uber for being too popular.
The announcement ends a bitter policy fight that climaxed on Wednesday when supermodel Kate Upton publicly criticized de Blasio for restricting New Yorkers’ transportation options.
De Blasio claimed his proposed regulations were an attempt to mitigate congestion, which he blamed on the growing number of Uber cars on the road.
Critics, including Uber spokesman David Plouffe, formerly a top aide to President Barack Obama, said de Blasio was doing the bidding of the city’s taxicab industry, which supported his 2013 mayoral bid.
The New York Times reported on details of the city’s Uber détente on Wednesday afternoon:
Under the agreement, according to three people familiar with the agreement, the city will conduct a four-month study on the effect of Uber and other for-hire vehicle operators on the city’s traffic and environment.
A City Council bill, which was to come to a vote as early as Thursday, had called for a cap on the company’s growth during the study. City officials said that a cap remained a possibility down the line.
The people said the agreement also called for Uber to release some of the data it had been seeking.