SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- In less than two months after Uber and Lyft arrived in Syracuse, Salt City taxi drivers say they lose money by not being able to competively adjust their pricing.
Cabbies gathered Tuesday to voice their concerns over ride-sharing services in hopes of arising attention from Mayor Stephanie Miner, saying the taxi rates are set by the city and can't be changed by the cab companies.
Taxis can't compete when ride-hailing services cut their prices, they said, and the've already seen a decline in business that could lead to staff cuts.
"As far as I'm concerned, I love comtpeition. If you're going to come out and play on the field, you should play by the same rules as everybody else," said James Rinaldi, a taxi operator. "Equality, that's what everybody always argues. I think that's what we're arguing here too, is equality here. If you're going to come out and play, you should have a class E livery license, you should be livery plated, at a minimum you're livery plated and you should carrying the [more expensive] four-high insurance."