The taxi industry is undergoing tremendous upheaval in the city with the growth of new for-hire vehicle services like Uber and Lyft. Mayor Bill de Blasio has raked in big money from yellow cab owners, and now, they seem to be looking to him to step in and help them out. NY1's Grace Rauh filed the following report.

The yellow taxi industry pumped more than $500,000 into Mayor Bill de Blasio's campaign for City Hall. Once in office, the cash kept flowing: tens of thousands of dollars to de Blasio's inauguration committee, his pre-k campaign and the Mayor's Fund for New York City.

"People have asked me, 'Well, you invested in Bill de Blasio.' We invested in New York City, and Bill de Blasio seemed like the best candidate at the time," said Ethan Gerber of the Greater New York Taxi Association.

It is a critical time for the industry. Companies like Uber and Lyft are flooding the market with new for-hire cars. They're taking a bite out of the yellow taxi business and their value of their medallions, which have sold for more than $1 million apiece.

"We are fighting to play on a level playing field," Gerber said.

The mayor appears to be trying to help his donors. The administration proposed tight regulations for the e-hail apps companies like Uber rely on, but the tech industry fought back and the city retreated.

Then, a new plan surfaced: a proposal to limit the number of for-hire vehicles hitting the road. A spokeswoman for the mayor said, "We are facing 2,000 more vehicles coming onto our streets every month, overwhelming an already congested Manhattan...We are calling for a year of managed growth so we can study the impact this is having on congestion and air quality."

Mitchell Moss, the director of the Rudin Center for Transportation at NYU, says the city cannot unclog its streets by simply cracking down on for-hire vehicles.

"Congestion is a function of New York's success," Moss said. "Congestion is not new. It's not a problem. It's a way of life."

Uber is fighting the proposed car cap, which is expected to go before the City Council for a vote later this month.