NEW YORK - Ride-share companies like Uber and Lyft have been seing major growth, but a new report says too many empty ride-share vehicles are clogging city streets.

The report by Schaller Consulting says there's been a 60 percent increase in for-hire vehicles between 60th Street and the Battery on weekdays in Manhattan over the past four years.

But about one-third of those cars are empty, between the time drivers drop off a passenger and pick up another.

The report says the city and state could require for-hire companies to shorten the amount of time drivers spend waiting for their next trip by offering a new passenger as soon as one is dropped off.

Combined with Governor Andrew Cuomo's congestion pricing proposal, the report says these steps could reverse a 23 percent drop in Manhattan traffic speeds since 2010.