Lyft drivers in the city are being shut out of the app for hours at a time, as the ride hailing company seeks to reduce the amount of time cars are cruising without passengers.

The company says it began the policy at the end of June after the city imposed rules saying the more time Lyft cars spend cruising, the more the company must pay drivers for each trip.

The city is also weighing a new regulation that would fine ride-hailing companies if their cars spend more than a third of their time cruising Manhattan's busiest streets.

In a statement, Lyft says the new rules imposed by the city are "misguided." The company says it did not want to have to block drivers from the app, but that it is working to "support drivers during this transition.”