Photo Courtesy of Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office
Mayor de Blasio signed the legislation on Tuesday to much fanfare at City Hall.
By Michael V. Cusenza
Basking in cheers, hugs, smiles, and high-fives Tuesday at City Hall, Mayor Bill de Blasio beamed as he signed five pieces of legislation aimed at regulating the application based for-hire vehicle industry in the five boroughs.
The City Council last week voted to approve the package that includes laws: requiring the City Taxi and Limousine Commission to stop issuing for-hire vehicle licenses for 12 months, to study congestion and various aspects of the industry, and after the study, allowing TLC to establish vehicle utilization standards and regulate the number of for-hire vehicle licenses; waiving licensing fees for wheelchair-accessible taxi cabs and for-hire vehicles; pertaining to the licensing and regulation of high-volume for-hire vehicle services; directing the TLC to establish rules to provide minimum payments to high-volume for-hire vehicle drivers; and reducing penalties for unauthorized street hails.
“There is no reason billion dollar app-based companies shouldn’t have to adhere to the same regulations as NY based businesses, regulations that were put in place to reduce congestion and protect New York’s drivers,” said Assemblyman David Weprin (D-Richmond Hill). “This cap levels the playing field for medallion owners and drivers of yellow and green cabs, who adhere to caps of their own, and gets these empty, congestion causing cars off of our streets.”
After the bill signing, the City pledged to:
• halt issuing new for-hire licenses, with the exception of wheelchair-accessible vehicles.
• initiate a study to protect workers by ensuring fair pay and further study how best to comprehensively manage the changing industry to reduce congestion and address other aspects of the industry.
• introduce and adopt a new minimum compensation rule at the TLC within 75 days. Once adopted, it will increase for-hire vehicle driver take-home pay by approximately 20 percent on average – more than $6,000 per year.
“The City Council has taken a big step toward creating a fair and equitable framework for overseeing the for-hire vehicle industry in our city,” said City Council Speaker Corey Johnson. “FHV drivers should be able to support themselves and their families without working unhealthy hours, and they shouldn’t have to work longer and longer with each passing month because thousands of new cars are flooding the streets. I’m proud of this package of bills, and I am confident we will see meaningful change that benefits this city.”
Santhok Singh of Shri Guru Ravidas Sabha of New York Sikh temple in Woodside added, “As part of NYC’s immigrant community, we are hopeful that this legislation will be a great help to us. There are many people in our community who drive taxis. Their lives, their homes, and their children’s futures are at stake.”
However, the for-hire vehicle regulation package did not pass by unanimous vote. Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park) last week noted that many of his South Queens constituents opposed the FHV cap. In just two days’ time, Ulrich said his office received more than 100 emails and phone calls denouncing the proposal. The councilman has likened the cap to instituting a limit “on Netflix subscriptions because we’re worried about Blockbusters closing.”
