A New York City lawmaker has asked Apple to remove Empower, a ride-hailing application, from its App Store over allegations that the service is operating in the city without the required Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) licence.
Shaun Abreu, chair of the City Council Transportation Committee, made the request in a letter to Apple, arguing that the technology company is helping Empower continue operating despite alleged violations of New York City regulations.
“We write to urge Apple to remove the ride-hailing application Empower…from the App Store for New York City,” Abreu wrote.
He alleged that the app’s continued availability was allowing what he described as unlawful operations to continue at the expense of passenger safety, driver protections and public revenue.
“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,” he said.
An Apple spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment, although Abreu said the company had informed him that it was reviewing the matter.
Empower, owned by Yazam Inc., competes with major ride-hailing platforms such as Uber and Lyft by offering lower fares. The company claims its prices are about 20 per cent below the average fares charged by the two competitors.
The platform also promotes a driver-focused model under which drivers set their own fares and retain all of their earnings while paying a monthly fee to use the service.
Empower did not directly respond to the allegations in Abreu’s letter. Instead, a spokesperson pointed to Uber’s reported contribution of at least $250,000 to Abreu’s re-election campaign last year.
Abreu dismissed the suggestion, noting that he had previously supported measures to regulate Uber both before and after the election.
The lawmaker accused Empower of refusing to obtain a high-volume for-hire service base licence from the TLC, which oversees New York City’s taxi and for-hire vehicle industry.
“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,” Abreu wrote.
The TLC also criticised Empower’s alleged operations in the city.
“We will not look the other way while illegal operators undermine our laws, exploit drivers, and put passengers at risk,” TLC spokesperson Jason Kersten said.
“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 said the TLC issued Empower with a cease-and-desist notice in 2022 and that the company has accumulated more than $45,000 in outstanding fines for allegedly operating without a licence.
Abreu also referenced a lawsuit filed by the city’s Law Department in March seeking to shut down Empower over claims that it has operated without the required licence since 2022.
He further cited comments made by Yazam CEO Joshua Sear during a March City Council hearing, where Sear reportedly said Empower handles more than 100,000 trips each week in New York City. Abreu argued that the volume places the company above the threshold requiring TLC certification.
The councilman said this also conflicts with Apple’s requirement that applications comply with local laws in the jurisdictions where they operate.
He pointed to previous instances in which Apple removed applications after authorities raised concerns about violations of local and state laws.
“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 said.
“We ask Apple to apply that same principle here and remove Empower’s application for violation of New York City law.”
Abreu further alleged that Empower may not be paying certain congestion-related charges imposed on for-hire vehicles in Manhattan.
He argued that avoiding the charges could be helping the company maintain fares that are significantly cheaper than those of 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.
