Photo Courtesy of Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office
“Today, we are both saving New Yorkers’ tax dollars and taking action to cut carbon emissions,” Mayor Adams said.
By Forum Staff
Mayor Eric Adams on Monday announced a reduction of the City’s vehicle fleet by at least 855 vehicles in an effort to save taxpayer dollars and reduce carbon emissions.
The 4-percent reduction of the on-road fleet will focus on non-emergency vehicles, and will reduce the City’s fleet to its size in the Bloomberg administration. In all, the plan announced on Monday is expected to result in 5.13 million fewer miles driven per year—representing a 2,072 metric ton reduction in carbon dioxide emissions.
Reductions will be made based on vehicle usage data, tracked by DCAS’s sophisticated vehicle telematics system, which provides real-time insight into the entire city fleet and how it is being utilized. Vehicles that are underutilized will be prioritized for removal from the fleet. The fleet reduction will reduce agency vehicle acquisition budgets by an estimated $13.7 million — city savings that will be announced as part of the mayor’s upcoming Executive Budget.
The city of New York’s fleet currently consists of 24,526 on-road vehicles. On-road vehicles include 9,579 (39.1 percent) emergency vehicles, 7,893 (32.2 percent) agency work trucks, 2,648 (10.8 percent) Sanitation trucks and sweepers, and 4,406 (18 percent) general use cars. The reduction will focus on general use cars and will not impact emergency vehicles or other specialized units that provide critical services to New Yorkers.
“We want to encourage New Yorkers to get out of their cars and use alternative forms of transportation — and the city must lead by example,” Adams said. “Today, we are both saving New Yorkers’ tax dollars and taking action to cut carbon emissions. By reducing the City’s car fleet through a targeted, data-driven approach, we can achieve our sustainability goals, while simultaneously exercising greater fiscal responsibility. Promises made, promises kept.”
The changes will be completed by September 1, 2022, and the vehicles will be removed from the fleet and auctioned off by December 31, 2022.
“Mayor Adams’ sensible right-sizing of the city fleet is a prudent step toward reining in the city’s spending and making government more efficient,” said City Councilman Bob Holden (D-Middle Village). “Trimming the fat in the budget is long overdue and I support the mayor’s efforts to make our tax dollars go further.”
“We are encouraged by Mayor Adams downsizing the City’s fleet of cars while maintaining critical services that millions of New Yorkers depend on,” said Liam Blank, policy and communications manager, Tri-State Transportation Campaign. “We applaud the fleet reduction announced today, and we urge the city to continue exploring methods of taking cars off the road and incentivizing sustainable modes of transportation. This is a critical step in our ongoing mission to reduce traffic congestion, cut carbon emissions, and meet Vision Zero goals.”
Danny Harris, executive director, Transportation Alternatives, added, “Mayor Adams’ plan to reduce the size of the city’s vehicle fleet is an important step toward cleaner air, safe streets, and fighting climate change. Cutting the number of vehicles on our streets is key to reducing congestion and traffic violence, and we’re glad to see this administration’s commitment to get cars off the street.”
