In Uber’s quest to take over the world, expansion is key — the more drivers it has on the roads picking up passengers, the better its business will do. But in New York City, the company will have to fight to grow its fleet as local authorities consider putting limits on just how many for-hire vehicles will be cruising the streets. [More]
new york city
Uber Pushing Back On New York City’s Plans To Put Limits On For-Hire Vehicle Fleet Expansion
By 7.20.15
NYC Mailman Accused Of Stealing More Than $1M In Tax Refunds In Years-Long Scheme
By 7.2.15
Is there some kind of greedy bug sweeping through the New York City mail system? Okay, probably not, but for the second time in two months a postal employee has been charged by federal prosecutors with taking part in a scheme to pad their own pockets. The most recent case involves a mail carrier who allegedly stole more than $1 million in tax refunds. [More]
Whole Foods CEOs Admit To “Unintentional” Overcharging
By 7.2.15
In 2014, California regulators caught Whole Foods overcharging customers, and things have only gotten worse for the upscale grocery store chain, which is currently under investigation for similar allegations in New York (where it also faces a civil suit from customers). That’s why Whole Foods’ co-CEOs issued a joint, heavily qualified, mea culpa about the situation. [More]
New York City Audit Calls Out Verizon For Failure To Build Out FiOS Network As Promised
By 6.19.15
Verizon is pretty much over this whole “FiOS” thing. They still support their existing networks, of course, but they’re pretty much done building out new ones. That, however, does not sit well with the city of New York, which is still waiting for Verizon to finish the city-wide build they promised to have done by last year. [More]
NYC Officials Take 496 Uber Cars Off The Streets For Illegally Picking Up Passengers On The Street
By 6.17.15
Every city has its own rules on how Uber drivers are allowed to operate, and in New York City that means black and livery cars can’t cruise around trying to pick up passengers on the streets. As such, officials impounded the cars of 496 Uber drivers this spring in a crackdown on illegal pickups. [More]
NYC May Become First U.S. City To Require High-Sodium Warning Labels At Chain Restaurants
By 6.10.15
The health war wages on in New York City, where the ghost of the failed ban on large sodas is said to still haunt city hall, moaning the name of a certain former mayor. This time, city officials are taking on sodium, proposing a requirement that chain restaurants put a label on menu items that are high in salt. [More]
Crate And Barrel Closing NYC Flagship After 20 Years Because The Rent Is Too Darn High
By 6.8.15
Your average New York City citizens aren’t the only ones who might be pushed from their preferred neighborhood amid skyrocketing real estate prices: after 20 years inhabiting its flagship store on Madison Avenue, Crate and Barrel is leaving the building behind to avoid paying higher rent. [More]
NYC Officials Set On Rooting Out Errant Food Vendors Who Don’t Post Prices
By 5.28.15
It started with one vendor accused of selling $30 hot dogs to unwitting tourists, but now New York City officials want to make it clear that food carts must have their prices listed for customers to see if they don’t want the long arm of the law to come knocking. [More]
NYC Food Vendor Accused Of Charging Tourists $30 For A Hot Dog
By 5.20.15
One of the joys of street food is that it’s usually cheap, compared to what you’d get in a sit down restaurant or even a fast food joint. But New York City officials say a rumble broke out near Ground Zero recently when a food vendor was accused of charging tourists $30 for a hot dog, while sticking to the $3 price for locals. [More]
Uber Expands Food Delivery Service UberEATS To Chicago, New York City
By 4.28.15
Since opening for business, ride-sharing company Uber hasn’t been content with simply giving customers rides from point A to point B. After dabbling in all kinds of pilot programs including on-demand drop-offs of everyday essentials and courier services, the company seems to have found a second niche: food delivery. And so, Uber plans to expand UberEATS to Chicago and New York this week.
Union-Backed Campaign Asks Verizon “Where’s My FiOS?”
By 3.26.15
For years, it’s been obvious that Verizon lacked interest in expanding its FiOS fiberoptic pay-TV and Internet service beyond its existing footprint, even though the company had not fulfilled its promises in areas like New Jersey and New York City to make high-speed broadband available to everyone. And in January, Verizon officially extinguished any hope that FiOS would be bringing competition to new markets anytime soon. But a new campaign organized by the Communications Workers of America is asking consumers to demand that Verizon deliver the service it so proudly touts on TV. [More]
When Is Taking A Yellow Cab Cheaper Than Using Uber?
By 3.18.15
Anyone who’s ever found themselves facing Uber’s surge rates has probably grumbled something along the lines of, “Well, at least cabs don’t charge more when it’s busy.” Which is true in most places with taxis licensed by the city where they operate. But what about other times when surge isn’t in effect — which service provides a cheaper ride? [More]
NYC Lawmakers Want To Pay People For Submitting Videos Of Illegally Idling Vehicles
By 3.10.15
Getting paid to spy for your government isn’t just something for the movies: In New York City, lawmakers are introducing a bill that would reward citizens who report drivers of idling vehicles and submit a video of the act as proof. [More]
NYC Officials Would Like To Remind Everyone To Please Refrain From Peeing On The Subway Platform
By 3.3.15
While there are some things one might hope wouldn’t need spelling out, if you want to get your message across, you’ve got to be clear. That’s why New York City’s transit officials felt the need to spell it out for patrons of the subway system, with a sign asking people to please not pee on the platform. [More]
New York Seeking $180M In Lawsuit Accusing UPS Of Shipping Untaxed Cigarettes
By 2.18.15
A new lawsuit filed by the state of New York and New York City is accusing United Parcel Service of shipping more than 136 million contrabands cigarettes across the state in the last five years. Those smokes are worth a lot of tax dollars — about $5 million for NYC and $30 million for the state — and as such, the lawsuit is seeking $180 million in damages and penalties. [More]
Yes, Even Dunkin’ Donuts Will Be Ditching Its Familiar Foam Cups After NYC Ban
By 1.9.15
Following the announcement yesterday that a new initiative in New York would effectively ban the use of extruded polystyrene – commonly referred to as styrofoam – containers by this summer, one of the cities largest users of the receptacles, Dunkin’ Donuts, says it will ditch its iconic cups in more than 500 stores. [More]
New $200 Million Plan Aims To Replace New York City Pay Phones With Super-Fast Public Wi-Fi Hubs
By 11.17.14
A new, ambitious $200 million plan aims to connect residents of New York City’s five boroughs to free, fast public Wi-Fi by replacing the city’s old pay phones with high-tech hubs. [More]
Report: Amazon Will Open A Real-Life Store In Manhattan
By 10.9.14
Back in the 1920s, catalog retail giant Sears opened massive spaces in major cities that served as combination retail stores and regional distribution centers for catalog goods. These centers closed in the ’80s and ’90s, but now online retail giant Amazon.com is following the same pattern in a tiny way, opening a combination retail store and pick-up center in New York City, across the street from the Empire State Building. [More]
