REMARKS
Issues in the for-hire vehicle industry: Driver lockouts and deactivations
0:03:01
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3 min
Council Member Brooks-Powers addresses the significant growth in the for-hire vehicle industry since 2011 and highlights current issues facing drivers, particularly lockouts and account deactivations by app-based companies like Uber and Lyft.
- Discussion of the industry's growth and previous council actions
- Focus on driver lockouts and the city's agreement with Uber and Lyft to reduce them
- Questions raised about account deactivations and their impact on drivers
- Emphasis on the need for stability and protection of driver livelihoods
Selvena N. Brooks-Powers
0:03:01
Since 2011, the 4 hire vehicle industry has experience, monumental growth with the arrival of app based for higher vehicle companies like Uber and Lyft to the city.
0:03:13
The council has always worked to ensure that this industry has grown in a sustainable and responsible way.
0:03:20
In 2018, to maintain competitiveness for drivers, the council passed local law 147, which caused the issuance of new for hire vehicle licenses with limited exceptions and task TLC would studying the utilization rate of these for higher vehicles.
0:03:40
The council also passed local law 149, which created a new license category for high volume for higher services.
0:03:51
Which covers for higher vehicle bases that dispatch more than 10,000 trips per day such as Uber and Lyft.
0:03:59
Today, the council is ready to address these issues once more.
0:04:03
My goal is to provide a forum with a public, advocates and relevant city agencies can speak on record about what is happening, what needs to be done, and how we can help.
0:04:17
One of the problems I wanna highlight is the recent scourge scourge, excuse me, of driver lockouts on the app base for higher vehicle companies.
0:04:25
Many drivers today find themselves temporarily locked out of the system unable to work and unsure when they'll be able to drive again.
0:04:34
This July commissioner David Doe of the Taxi And Limousine Commission and the administration announced that the city secured agreements from Uber and Lyft to reduce driver lockouts.
0:04:46
With plans to phase out the practice by Labor Day.
0:04:49
That date has come and gone.
0:04:52
Have all parties satisfied the terms of agreement?
0:04:55
Has the TLC been working on its promised rule package?
0:04:58
To provide a long term solution?
0:05:01
What does a sustainable market look like in terms of balancing new drivers, reducing empty cars on our streets, and maintaining driver pay?
0:05:10
In addition to lockout, Drivers and advocates have come to us with complaints about act account deactivations.
0:05:18
We want to better understand how deactivations are affecting drivers and learn more about the process in place to reinstate drivers.
0:05:27
How many drivers would you activate it in a year?
0:05:30
How many are reinstated?
0:05:32
How long does the process take?
0:05:34
What happens to drivers who can't get reinstated?
0:05:38
For corporate, entity's drivers may just be numbers deactivate 1 and replace them with another.
0:05:46
But for the driver, it's still livelihood on hold.
0:05:49
But lockout and wrongful deactivations threaten driver income, creating instability, during a time where costs arrive rising and bills are piling up.
0:06:00
I hope this hearing will arm us with the facts and a clearer understanding of what can be done to help drivers.