Uber Drivers Protest in Queens Over NYC Price Drop

It's unclear how many Uber drivers will be taking part in Monday's rally.

It may be harder for New Yorkers to get an Uber ride on Monday, just a few days after the company cut its fare prices in New York City. 

Uber drivers rallie outside of the company's Long Island City offices at noon to protest the price drop that began last week. 

The drivers who are protesting hope to shut down the service in the five boroughs for 24 hours. 

It's unclear how many drivers took part in Monday's rally. 

Uber dropped its prices in the city Friday morning in a bid to boost ridership and decrease its drivers’ idle time, Uber officials told NBC 4 New York.

"So far the price cut results we've seen for drivers have been promising: over this past weekend drivers spent 39% less time without a fare and as a result saw a 20% increase in hourly earnings compared to two weekends before," the company said in a statement. "This matches what happened the last time we reduced prices in New York; idle time decreased and net driver earnings increased."

Drivers say Uber now costs less than a yellow cab and that they will lose money as a result. Some drivers protested after the price cut for Uber X and XL services went into effect at 7 a.m. Friday. 

The move brought the base fare price in NYC down to $2.55 from the current $3. The per mile rate dropped to $1.75 from the current $2.15, and the per minute rate to 35 cents from 40 cents, Uber officials said.

The price of a ride from midtown to LaGuardia Airport dropped from $43.67 to $37.12, and a ride from Chelsea to the East Village is now $11.20, compared to the previous average charge of $13.18.

The company also cut prices in the summer 2014, slashing the time drivers spent without a fare by 42 percent.

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