New York City Council Majority Leader Shaun Abreu is urging the MTA to investigate Empower, a rideshare platform, over potential evasion of congestion pricing. Abreu claims Empower, lacking a Taxi and Limousine Commission license, hasn't collected per-trip congestion charges, giving it an unfair advantage over licensed services like Uber and Lyft. He estimates this could result in tens of millions of dollars in lost annual revenue, which should fund transit. Abreu has requested the MTA quantify unpaid tolls and seek repayment. MTA Chairman Janno Lieber confirmed the agency is investigating and will recover any owed fees. Empower, however, disputes the allegations, stating it's a software marketplace, not a transportation provider. The company claims it offered to work with city officials to facilitate payments, but proposals were rejected. Empower argues drivers pay a subscription, set fares, and keep all passenger payments. This controversy adds to Empower's existing legal challenges, as New York City has already sued the company for operating as an unlicensed rideshare service. Similar issues and penalties have arisen in Washington, D.C., where Empower faced court orders and fines for unauthorized operations.