Here are the Opening Statements as delivered by the Chairman at today's oversight hearing on TLC's Implementation of For-Hire Vehicle Growth Restrictions, For-Hire Vehicle Driver Pay Standards, and Other Recent Local Laws:
"Good afternoon and welcome to today's hearing of the Council's Committee on Transportation. I am Ydanis Rodriguez, Chairman of the Committee. Today we will be conducting an oversight hearing focusing on the Taxi and Limousine Commission and their implementation of several local laws the Council has passed over the past year and a half to help strengthen the taxi and for-hire vehicle industry.
We all know that the industry has been in a state of turmoil over the last several years. We have seen taxi medallions skyrocket in value and then come crashing down, wiping out entire investments and leading many drivers to file for bankruptcy. We have seen the rapid growth in the FHV sector have a negative economic impact on all drivers as their incomes have fallen due to the increased competition for passengers.
It is important to mention all of the Taxi drivers that have committed suicide as a result of the financial stress and the negative economic impact this industry has been under.
We have seen how the number of cars saturating our roads has led to environmental concerns for our city, especially around congestion.
In response, the City Council has taken several steps during this legislative session to try and alleviate some of these concerns. Among the many important steps that the Council has taken, there are a few that I would like to highlight:
Local law 147 of 2018 required TLC to conduct a study on the impact FHVs have on the City and authorized the Commission to establish and revise vehicle utilization standards for high-volume for-hire services. It also put a pause on the issuance of new for-hire vehicle licenses while TLC performed the study. This pause, or moratorium, was recently extended by TLC.
The Council also passed Local law 150 of 2018 which required TLC to establish minimum payments to FHV drivers and authorized the establishment of minimum rates of fare. As a result of this law, TLC promulgated driver pay rules in December 2018 that went into effect earlier this year.
The Council also passed Local law 149 of 2018, which created a new licensing category of high-volume FHVs that dispatch more than 10,000 trips on a daily basis.
Local law 219 of 2018 created an Office of Inclusion within TLC to promote diversity, inclusion, and cultural sensitivity in the taxi and for-hire vehicle industries.
The Council also passed Local law 220 of 2018, which required TLC to provide their licensed drivers with financial and mental health counseling, and referrals to non-profit organizations for additional assistance and services.
Last year the Council also passed Local law 212 of 2018, a bill that I sponsored which created a task force to study the sale prices of taxi medallions and recommend changes to the laws, rules, regulations, and policies relating to medallions.
This task force has already been assembled and its members are currently meeting periodically to perform its work. Council Member Stephen Levin and I have been appointed by Speaker Corey Johnson to serve as co-chairs. The TLC also has a representative on the task force.
Earlier this year the Council passed Local law 10 of 2019, which requires the TLC or another agency or office designated by the mayor to study the problem of medallion owner debt and determine what appropriate actions need to be taken to address the problem. We know that there are many medallion owners that have loans with terms and conditions that are unaffordable and payments that are unsustainable. Hopefully, this law will bring some relief to these medallion owners that are drowning in debt.
While much has been done since the beginning of 2018 to address some of the problems facing the taxi and FHV industry we know that there is a lot more that needs to be done.
This Committee is committed to finding practical solutions to help all drivers earn a decent living and to improve the performance and standards across the taxi and FHV sectors in our city. It is my hope that working together we can continue to explore options and actions that will help us achieve that.
I would like to welcome the representatives of the Administration who are here with us today. Thank you for being here."
