NYC TLC Market Update: Yellow Cab Trips Up 20%, Lyft Gaining On Uber

Lyft nears 30% HV app market share as Uber appears to be increasingly leaning on yellow cab dispatches (and perhaps pricing); EV TLC plate release in 2026 increasingly unlikely

• Uber and Lyft NYC Trips to Non-Taxi For-Hire Vehicles (FHVs) Rose 0.7% YoY in Aug 2025: Lyft is nearing 30% market share (with TLC-plated FHVs) vs. Uber.

• Yellow Cab Trips Up 20.0% in August; 3,196 Medallions Still in Storage: Growth likely driven by more cabs returning to service and Uber / Curb e-hail dispatches — ~10,390 yellow taxis are active, including 5,572 medallions attached to WAVs.

• Time-Based Utilization Rate Remains Solid: Year-to-date (YTD), Uber stands at 55.5%, Lyft at 53.2%, and industrywide at 54.8%. TLC’s new pay rules require a distance-based UR metric, which has yet to be released.

• Green Rides Record: In August, 21.4% of all Uber and Lyft trips in NYC were completed in an EV or WAV. The mandated 25% EV/WAV requirement for 2026 is likely to be met, making an EV-only plate release highly unlikely.

• Total NYC for-hire vehicle (FHV) trips across all sectors grew by 8.5% YoY in July 2025, reaching an average of 831,862 daily trips.