PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Allison Langley, Staff Attorney at New York Taxi Workers Alliance
1:55:53
ยท
152 sec
Allison Langley from the New York Taxi Workers Alliance testified about the ongoing economic crisis facing yellow cab owners and the challenges of transitioning to wheelchair accessible vehicles. She urged the City Council to provide financial support for drivers struggling with vehicle expenses and to address the impending insolvency of the Taxi Improvement Fund.
- Discussed the impact of Intro 373, which would have provided vehicle retirement extensions during the COVID-19 crisis
- Highlighted the court order requiring all owner-drivers to put wheelchair accessible vehicles on the road, which is twice as expensive as standard vehicles
- Emphasized the need for additional funding to support owner-drivers in meeting accessibility mandates while maintaining their livelihoods
Allison Langley
1:55:53
Good afternoon.
1:55:54
My name is Allison Langley.
1:55:55
I'm a staff attorney with the New York Taxi Workers Alliance.
1:55:59
I'm here to testify about intro three seventy three, a bill which would have provided for vehicle retirement extensions during the COVID nineteen crisis.
1:56:07
While the COVID nineteen state of emergency has ended, the economic crisis facing yellow cab owners has not.
1:56:14
Yellow cabs are doing just 55% of the trips per day that they were doing before COVID.
1:56:19
Naitua urges the city council to revisit the issue of helping drivers with vehicle expenses while they are struggling to bring in enough revenue to purchase a new car.
1:56:28
The lack of post COVID recovery has been exacerbated by the recent court order, which requires that all owner drivers put a wheelchair accessible vehicle or a wave on the road.
1:56:37
The New York Taxi Workers Alliance supports the goal of an accessible fleet, and the transition must not be so costly that it pushes drivers out of the industry.
1:56:47
A wave, as you heard from Wayne Chin, is twice as expensive as a standard vehicle.
1:56:52
Owner drivers need financial support from the city.
1:56:55
Otherwise, the court order will not result in increasing accessible, the number of accessible cabs on the street.
1:57:01
It will simply reduce the overall number of cabs in operation overall.
1:57:07
While the Taxi and Limousine Commission does provide some limited benefits from the Taxi Cab Improvement Fund or TIF, which is funded by a surcharge on taxi trips, the fund not only fails to fully cover the difference in purchase and operational costs, but is going to become insolvent this year.
1:57:23
You heard earlier today from the chair of the TLC as he testified about the limited funds available and the difficult decisions he they had to make to try to increase the benefit upfront.
1:57:32
What he did not tell you is that even at the current benefit rates, the fund will be, insolvent by the end of the year.
1:57:39
In addition, there, while we appreciate the TLC's attempts to increase the upfront benefits to help drivers purchase vehicles, those increases come at the cost of reducing the the overall benefit rate and the benefits that drivers would receive year after year of maintaining a wave in operation.
1:57:57
NYITWA urges the city council to find other funding to support owner drivers as they work to meet the accessibility mandate.
1:58:04
This would allow TIF benefits not only to be maintained at their current level, which as I've said is insufficient, but also to increase it.
1:58:11
This funding would not only ensure that thousands of drivers would be able to keep their jobs, driving yellow cabs, but would also ensure that the many passengers who need an accessible taxicab have access to one when they need it.
1:58:24
Thank you.
1:58:25
Thank you.