*By Madison Alworth*
Yellow cab drivers in New York City have been suffering, and transport entrepreneur Daniel Iger thinks now is the time for change.
"The yellows need to be more competitive," he said Monday in an interview on Cheddar.
For cab drivers, what used to be an annual salary of around $45,000 in 2013 now averages a mere $29,000. Chalk that up to the effect of Uber and Lyft. And as a result, the [New York City Council](https://www.theverge.com/2018/8/8/17661374/uber-lyft-nyc-cap-vote-city-council-new-york-taxi) has voted to cap the number of for-hire vehicles on the streets and halt the issuing of any new for-hire vehicle licenses for at least 12 months.
But ride-sharing services in New York are still one smartphone tap away, which is why Iger hopes to make yellow cabs just as accessible with his new app [Waave](https://www.waave.co/). The app allows users to book cabs from their phone with set prices and, he hopes, can boost the taxi business in the saturated for-hire market.
"Waave is the first application which is allowed to charge upfront pricing," he said. "That means no more meter, and you run your app the same as you are used to for your ride-share vehicles. You have an upfront price, and it's exactly what you pay."
Waave also promises surge-free pricing as another incentive for would-be consumers.
The company has eliminated the meter system, but Iger insisted that drivers' earnings will be equal to that of a metered ride.
"We have an algorithm, and we calculate the fare based off of traffic and distance. We are always in the same transparent pricing like the meter is. We are exactly the same," he said.
Waave was approved by the the Taxi and Limousine Commission of New York last week for a two-year pilot program.
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/waave-the-new-way-to-hail-yellow-cabs-in-nyc).
The Rev. Al Sharpton is set to lead a protest march on Wall Street to urge corporate America to resist the Trump administration’s campaign to roll back diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. The New York civil rights leader will join clergy, labor and community leaders Thursday in a demonstration through Manhattan’s Financial District that’s timed with the anniversary of the Civil Rights-era March on Washington in 1963. Sharpton called DEI the “civil rights fight of our generation." He and other Black leaders have called for boycotting American retailers that scaled backed policies and programs aimed at bolstering diversity and reducing discrimination in their ranks.
President Donald Trump's administration last month awarded a $1.2 billion contract to build and operate what's expected to become the nation’s largest immigration detention complex to a tiny Virginia firm with no experience running correction facilities.
Chipmaker Nvidia is poised to release a quarterly report that could provide a better sense of whether the stock market has been riding an overhyped artificial intelligence bubble or is being propelled by a technological boom that’s still gathering momentum.
Cracker Barrel said late Tuesday it’s returning to its old logo after critics — including President Donald Trump — protested the company’s plan to modernize.
Low-value imports are losing their duty-free status in the U.S. this week as part of President Donald Trump's agenda for making the nation less dependent on foreign goods. A widely used customs exemption for international shipments worth $800 or less is set to end starting on Friday. Trump already ended the “de minimis” rule for inexpensive items sent from China and Hong Kong, but having to pay import taxes on small parcels from everywhere else likely will be a big change for some small businesses and online shoppers. Purchases that previously entered the U.S. without needing to clear customs will be subject to the origin country’s tariff rate, which can range from 10% to 50%.
Southwest Airlines will soon require plus-size travelers to pay for an extra seat in advance if they can't fit within the armrests of one seat. This change is part of several updates the airline is making. The new rule starts on Jan. 27, the same day Southwest begins assigning seats. Currently, plus-size passengers can pay for an extra seat in advance and later get a refund, or request a free extra seat at the airport. Under the new policy, refunds are still possible but not guaranteed. Southwest said in a statement it is updating policies to prepare for assigned seating next year.
Cracker Barrel is sticking with its new logo. For now. But the chain is also apologizing to fans who were angered when the change was announced last week.
Elon Musk on Monday targeted Apple and OpenAI in an antitrust lawsuit alleging that the iPhone maker and the ChatGPT maker are teaming up to thwart competition in artificial intelligence.
