🙄 NYC Uber Black Vehicle Rules Changing (Again)?
It appears NYC UberBlack vehicle requirements are changing, again! Given large capital investment costs for drivers & fleets, it's time the TLC regulated Uber's vehicle list
Uber plans to update what vehicles qualify for NYC UberBlack, and other service offerings, in coming weeks
In one example, vehicle owners of 2019 Cadillac XTS’, are being told their vehicles will no longer be able to do UberBlack
Given the multi-year and large financial commitment NYC TLC drivers and fleets have to make based on Uber’s eligible vehicle list, we believe this list must be subject to regulations
As we’ve mentioned previously, our start in the NYC TLC industry was leasing vehicles that qualified for Uber’s premium service offering - UberBlack. We created and operated one of the largest ALL-UberBlack fleets in NYC. In fact, the reason we started AutoMarketplace directly relates to our experience running this fleet.
If you’re in the UberBlack market, or the luxury side of NYC’s for-hire transportation industry, you know how important it is to make sure you invest in a vehicle that qualifies for UberBlack and/or luxury base trips. Not only is the make and model important, but also the model year 📅.
The UberBlack list usually consists of all the brand names and models you’d expect - Mercedes-Benz E/S-Class, Cadillac Escalade, Chevy Suburban, GMC Yukon, Lincoln Navigator, BMW 5/7 series, Audi A6/A8, Lexus GX/LX, Tesla Model S/X, etc .
However, what many may not know is that Uber, from time to time, decides to change what makes, models and years qualify for UberBlack, with little advance notice. Remember, a NYC TLC driver (or fleet) has already made a 5 to 7 year business investment decision (i.e., taking on debt) worth well over $50,000, sometimes even more than $100,000! UberBlack-qualified vehicles, as you can imagine, are not cheap to buy or maintain.
A few years back, before the pandemic, the Infiniti QX60 was an extremely popular vehicle among TLC drivers because it qualified for UberBlack AND the even more exclusive UberBlack SUV service offering. However, Uber decided, with little warning, the vehicle no longer qualified for UberBlack SUV 🤷.
Other popular vehicles that used to qualify for UberBlack in NYC were the Acura MDX, Buick LaCrosse, Lexus ES, Lexus RX and BMW X5 (we had several in our fleet). Let’s take the example of removing the BMW X5 to highlight the arbitrary nature of these decisions. The BMW X5’s direct rival is the Mercedes-Benz GLE, literally direct make and model rival - BMW vs. Mercedes. For some illogical reason the GLE continues to qualify for UberBlack, but not the X5. Our point being that BOTH should qualify for UberBlack.
If one knows anything about cars, these sorts of decisions don’t make any sense. For car junkies like us, the inconsistency is also maddening.
Here We Go Again
A few NYC TLC drivers we know, who all happen to own a 2019 Cadillac XTS, recently sent us an email they received from Uber (see below). The 2019 Cadillac XTS is a vehicle that (1) abides by the UberBlack rule of being less than 6 model years old and (2) has always qualified for UberBlack (it’s a spacious Cadillac luxury sedan!).
Email several NYC TLC drivers who own a 2019 Cadillac XTS received last months (shared with permission and redacted)
So, a driver or fleet that entered into $10,000s worth of debt to buy a Cadillac XTS a few years ago, assuming, quite reasonably, it would qualify for UberBlack for another 2 years…is now being told, with a 1.5 month heads up, tough luck 🤔. If the driver (or fleet) knew this would be the case, they would have bought a much cheaper vehicle (or another car)! Doing UberX in a luxury Cadillac sedan doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.
Given the multi-year and large financial commitment NYC TLC drivers and fleets have to make based on Uber’s eligible vehicle list, we believe this list now must be subject to TLC regulations.
We are not one to call for regulations when they are not needed, but clearly Uber is being careless and doesn’t understand the impacts of these decisions. Separately, they don’t seem to have “car people” employed at HQ based on some very arbitrary vehicle decisions we highlighted above.
Our proposal is that Uber must be required to submit their vehicle list (make, model, year) to the TLC by product type (Uber X, XL, Comfort, Black, Black SUV) every year. If they change their list, not related to a safety reason (i.e., recall, deemed dangerous to drive), they need to guarantee drivers and fleets are “grandfathered” in (i.e., from August 1, 2023 onward if you buy a 2019 Cadillac XTS that’s on a driver/fleet, but if a driver/fleet bought the vehicle beforehand, it still qualifies for UberBlack).
Separately, if UberBlack customers are complaining then this is yet another reason they need to justify, based on actual testing, why a vehicle should be added to a list in the first place. Uber doesn’t own any vehicles and has a monopolistic market share, so some person or middle manager deciding to click a button to update their vehicle qualification algorithm might not seem like a big deal to them.
It is a big deal and it needs to be regulated.
As always, let us know your thoughts in the comments section below or by emailing us at info@automarketplace.com.
Video Summary
AutoMarketplace NYC covers the for-hire transportation industry and automotive news. Check out AutoMarketplace on YouTube ▶️
Great article! I drive a relatively old Toyota Camry that is paid off for UberX. I don’t run into these luxury issues and my business can run from anywhere in the City, basically, because I don’t have to go deadhead to an area where I might get a luxury request. And I can still make over $100k/year doing this.