We don't need to be able to hail yellow cabs with an app, we need to be able to hail black cars with an app. Cabs aren't going to come to BK because they got a text message, they all swarm around Manhattan looking for short fares, but black car services are local and could benefit from easier dispatch and payment.

If you ask me this is the TLC anticipating public demand for the app and stepping in the way of it actually being useful under the guise of playing along.