Uber Technologies CEO Travis Kalanick announced Tuesday that cab riders can now e-hail a ride on their smartphones through the company's taxi app at no charge.
On Friday, city officials said Uber will facilitate the e-hails in a one-year pilot program.
Last week, a judge dismissed a lawsuit filed mainly by livery cab owners, allowing a city plan to experiment with the e-hailing system to see whether it leads to a dearth of cabs or other problems.
Car service owners say e-hailing unfairly blurs a legal line between yellow and livery cabs, which are barred from picking up passengers on streets and depend on prearranged rides.
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