Day: August 21, 2026

A city lawmaker this week sent Apple Inc. a letter requesting it remove a controversial ride-hailing app from its online store in New York City due to allegations the service operates in the five boroughs without a city Taxi & Limousine Commission (TLC) license, amNewYork has learned.

In the missive, which was obtained by amNewYork, City Council Transportation Committee Chair Shaun Abreu (D-Manhattan) argues that the tech giant is enabling the app — known as Empower — to continue operating in the city outside the law through its availability on the App Store. 

“We write to urge Apple to remove the ride-hailing application Empower…from the App Store for New York City,” the letter reads. “Empower is currently operating in our city in open and admitted violation of New York law, and its continued availability on the App Store enables that unlawful conduct to continue at the direct expense of passenger safety, driver protections, and public revenue.”

An Apple spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment by publication time. Although Abreu said the company responded to him that it is looking into the matter.

Empower, a product of the company Yazam Inc., is known for charging lower fares than the two major ride-hail app companies in the city: Uber and Lyft. It claims on its website that its prices are 20% lower than average fares for both apps.

It also purports to be drive-centric, allowing those behind the wheel to set their own rates and take home 100% of the fares, in exchange for paying a monthly fee to use the app.

In response to the letter, Empower spokesperson Ryan Hartman did not comment on its contents.  Instead he pointed to the ride share giant Uber spending “at least $250,000” in support of Abreu’s reelection campaign last year.

Abreu brushed off the response, noting that he has fought to heavilly regulate Uber both before and after the race. For instance, he pointed to legislation he passed last year requiring delivery apps, such as Uber Eats, to display tipping options for customers at checkout, after some had eliminated that feature in 2023.

The council member charges that by refusing to apply for high-volume for-hire service base license through TLC, which regulates the city’s yellow taxi cab and wider for-hire-vehicle industries, Empower is running afoul of city safety and worker protection rules that it would have to meet to obtain one. 

“That requirement is not a technicality, and is the primary way the city ensures vehicles carrying paying passengers are properly insured, that drivers are vetted and verified, and that riders are protected if something goes wrong,” he wrote.

In response to Abreu’s letter, TLC spokesperson Jason Kersten expressed a similar sentiment.

“We will not look the other way while illegal operators undermine our laws, exploit drivers, and put passengers at risk,” Kersten said in a statement. “If you operate in this city, you must play by TLC rules. We are standing up for licensed drivers who follow the law, for passengers who deserve safe and accountable service, and for a regulatory system built on fairness. NYC’s streets are not a testing ground for companies that refuse oversight.”

Kersten added that TLC hit Empower with a cease-and-desist letter in 2022 and that the firm owes the city over 45,000 in fines for operating without a license.

To support his argument that Empower is breaking the law, Abreu cited the city Law Department filing a March lawsuit against the company, seeking to shut it down for allegedly operating in the city without a license since 2022. He also pointed to Yazam CEO Joshua Sear saying during a March City Council hearing that Empower dispatches over 100,000 trips per week in the city, well above the legal threshold at which it needs to acquire TLC certification.

As such, Abreu wrote that Empower is out of compliance with an Apple requirement that apps on its store abide by local laws in the locations where they are available. He said Apple has removed apps that violated local and state law in other cities as recently as earlier this year.

“Following notice from the city attorney of San Francisco that certain applications violated local law and California state law, Apple removed multiple offending apps from the App Store and moved to terminate the associated developer accounts,” Abreu wrote. “We ask Apple to apply that same principle here and remove Empower’s application for violation of New York City law.”

Furthermore, Abreu contends that Empower also appears to pay neither the state congestion surcharge — applied to for-hire-vehicles traveling in Manhattan below 96 Street — nor the MTA’s congestion pricing toll — for vehicles driving in Manhattan below 60th Street — robbing the state and transit agency of much-needed revenue. He argued that Empower foregoing those charges is what allows it to advertise prices that are “artificially” lower than its competitors.

“Empower is, in effect, marketing a discount that is subsidized by unpaid public charges and unmet safety obligations, and it is using the Apple App Store to reach customers for its illegal services,” he wrote.

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