The Black Car Fund (BCF) is a proud sponsor of the 36th Annual Conference of the International Association of Transportation Regulators (IATR).
IATR's President Matt Daus said, “I would like to thank the Black Car Fund, its board, partners and all the bases that support this wonderful and unique driver compensation and benefits organization, for once again sponsoring the IATR. Special thanks goes to my dear friend of 35+ years, Ira Goldstein, whose leadership has brought the Fund to levels of success that have touched the lives of many thousands of drivers over the years, to help not just economically at times of injury, but to proactively train drivers on how to stay safe to avoid injury - and to keep them a healthy and vibrant part of the mobility ecosystem. Our thanks, on behalf of all the regulators, to all of the staff who keep things running at the Fund. We need a Black Car Fund in every state and beyond!”
The New York Black Car Operators’ Injury Compensation Fund, commonly referred to as The Black Car Fund (BCF) is a non-profit organization created by New York State to provide workers’ compensation insurance to drivers affiliated with The BCF’s Member Bases. They also provide a full suite of health, safety and education related benefits that protect fit for-hire drivers, their passengers, and other New Yorkers on the road. Over the years, The BCF has grown to over 500 Member Bases throughout the State of New York and provides coverage to an estimated 100,000 Drivers. They are the nation’s only fully self-funded, self-insured, and self-administered not-for-profit workers’ compensation provider. You can see a list of participating bases here, and to view the driver informational handout, please click here.
Services include the following:
The BCF provides Workers’ Compensation coverage in the event that a Covered Driver is involved in an accident while on the job for a BCF Member Base. A “Covered Driver” is a driver who is affiliated with and dispatched by a Member Base of the Black Car Fund. Additionally, as per state law, The Fund uses a small portion of the passenger surcharge to provide additional health-related benefits to its Covered Drivers, including an Accident Disability Insurance Plan, Personal Accident Insurance, Critical Illness Insurance, telemedicine coverage, vision coverage, dental insurance, prescription, urgent care, and diagnostic imaging discounts, as well as a mental health and wellness program. The Fund also pays Covered Drivers $300 once every three years to complete their Enhanced State-Certified Defensive Driving Course. Covered Drivers can also receive a payment of $150 to complete The Fund’s Wellness STEP program, once every three years. Most recently, The Fund introduced a Driver Education Course which covers all the benefits offered to drivers and can be completed online or in-person, for a payment of $75 or $200, respectively. The Fund has also established a $100,000 Driver Death Benefit. In the event that a Covered Driver loses their life while on the job, their family is entitled to a lump sum payment of $100,000, in addition to any other death benefit that a Covered Driver’s family may receive under NYS Workers’ Compensation Law.
How the fund works:
As per the New York statute, any base that does more than 90% of its business on a non-cash basis, and owns less than 50% of the vehicles it dispatches, is required to become a Member Base of The Black Car Fund. The Black Car Fund is funded entirely by passengers in the form of a small passenger surcharge that is assessed on every ride dispatched by a Member Base. This surcharge is collected by Member Bases and remitted to The Fund on a monthly basis.
For more information, please contact Lionel Morales, Communications, Outreach and Marketing Manager at lmorales@nybcf.org.
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