New York City has seized 496 Uber cars since May

In the battle between Uber drivers and city authorities, New York has been kicking ass and taking names, seizing 496 black and livery cars affiliated with Uber’s bases for picking up illegal street hails since April 29. It's not the best news for a company eagerly seeking a solid — and legal — foothold in New York, especially considering the size and importance of the market.

Launched by the Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC), the crackdown aims at drivers who violate the law against picking up street hails. Uber drivers may only provide rides to people who arrange rides via a smartphone app or base dispatch. JFK Airport was a particular target, after drivers racked up 431 tickets in April alone. Naturally, taxi drivers applaud the efforts, with some calling for felony convictions,  as violators cut directly into their profits, . They also want a cap to be placed on the number of Uber cars, which now outnumber taxi cabs with medallions in the city 14,088 to 13,587.

Tweeps Phillips Woods of the Committee for Taxi Safety told he New York Post:

“The fact that the TLC has seized such a staggering amount of Uber cars in such a short period of time only shows that more oversight is needed,”

Uber, intelligently, is doing its best to make nice. Spokesman Matt Wing told the New York Post:

“This is a small group of bad actors,” “Street hails are not permitted on the Uber platform — period.”

No doubt it’s good strategy to ruffle as few feathers as possible before a June 22 court date with Mayor Bill de Blasio, who has been summoned to testify why an “e-hail” is not the same as a regular hail, and why the city should allow companies like Uber to pick up riders via smartphone apps.