NYC comptroller opposes plan to cap Uber, breaking from mayor

NEW YORK (WABC) -- Comptroller Scott Stringer is calling for the New York City Council to delay a vote on capping the number of Uber cars on city streets.

The council wants to impose the cap for a year while studying the ride-hailing service's impact on traffic. Stringer said Tuesday that he opposed the cap, adding the study should be completed before any decision is made.

"It makes no sense to arbitrarily cap Uber and other for-hire vehicle companies before we study the impact of congestion on the streets of New York," Stringer said in a statement. "We need to make sure that our transportation system works for everyone, including the City's traditional yellow cabs, for-hire drivers, and most importantly the riding public. We need to think strategically about building out our transportation networks in a way that makes long-term sense for all New Yorkers."

Stringer's position breaks from Mayor Bill de Blasio's stance. Both are Democrats.

This week the City Council is expected to vote on two proposals, one to study congestion and the other would limit the number of for hire cars while that study happens. But the comptroller says a cap isn't logical.

"We cannot for a moment arbitrarily cap innovation and ingenuity for the sake of same old same old," said Stringer.

But Stringer does think Uber should pay a surcharge and he wants a more comprehensive study done, to look at congestion and wages, particularly for yellow taxi drivers.

Councilman Ydanis Rodrigues is behind both bills. In a statement Tuesday, he said he is confident the bills will pass and that, "When a sector with heavy implications on our city's environment, quality of life and public health undergoes unprecedented growth, our government responds accordingly."

The mayor favors the bills as well and his office is concerned that if Uber has its way it will never agree to any controlled growth.

The comptroller meanwhile has no power to legislate but he hopes the council delays the vote and holds off on any cap. He says this is a good opportunity to look at improving the whole transportation network.

But Stringer says Uber also needs to make concessions, including instituting a ride surcharge to help fund the region's public transit network. He also said the city should reexamine the working conditions of traditional cab drivers, "which for decades have been defined by long hours, low wages and few, if any benefits," and strive to provide equal access to taxi service across all city boroughs.

San Francisco-based Uber opposes any sort of cap and has unleashed an ad campaign against de Blasio.

A City Council spokesman said a vote on the cap could be held Thursday.

(The Associated Press Contributed to this report.)