PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Bhairavi Desai, Executive Director of New York Taxi Workers Alliance, on Intro 1050
1:58:30
ยท
140 sec
Bhairavi Desai, representing the New York Taxi Workers Alliance, expresses strong concerns about Intro 1050, which proposes to reduce Personal Injury Protection (PIP) insurance coverage for taxi drivers. She argues that this reduction would be detrimental to drivers who rely on PIP as a critical lifeline, especially given the lack of workers' compensation coverage for many in the industry.
- Desai criticizes the potential savings for drivers (400-600 dollars annually) as insufficient compared to the loss of crucial coverage.
- She questions the motivation behind the bill, suggesting it may be driven by Uber's desire to reduce fraudulent claims, but points out the lack of supporting data or evidence.
- Desai calls for a pause on moving forward with the bill due to these concerns and the absence of substantiated benefits.
Bhairavi Desai
1:58:30
Good afternoon, madam chair, members of the council.
1:58:33
My name is Beta V Desai.
1:58:35
I'm the executive director of the 28,000 member New York Taxi Workers Alliance.
1:58:40
First to speak on intro ten fifty.
1:58:44
We are really concerned because, you know, as Wayne said, yellow cab owner drivers do not have workers' compensation coverage.
1:58:51
And livery drivers only have workers' comp if the injury is a result of a crime or the, you know, the or it meets the statutory definition of grave injury.
1:59:05
And so for livery drivers and yellow cab owner drivers, PIP or no fault insurance, it's a lifeline.
1:59:12
It's critical.
1:59:14
And we're talking about, you know, instances of very serious injury.
1:59:19
And as the commissioner testified earlier, compared to other insurances, it is the insurance that will deliver for you within a thirty day period.
1:59:28
And as as Carmen testified, you know, telling drivers that they're gonna save 400 to $600 a year if they give up this critical coverage, it's it's honestly such an insult.
1:59:41
I mean, I think the real impetus for this bill is most likely that Uber and its co its paid for coalition seems to believe that reducing this coverage is going to reduce the level of fraudulent claims, but there is no publicly available data.
1:59:59
There's no scientific report from the Department of Financial Services, certainly not the TLC, certainly not the city council itself, or even from an insurance company or a watchdog group that would substantiate this claim.
2:00:13
So we're being asked to reduce coverage, with no evidence that it's even going to impact, the fraudulent claims that, you know, that it's supposed to aim.
2:00:26
So we have a lot of concern and really call for a pause on, you know, moving forward on this bill.
Selvena N. Brooks-Powers
2:00:36
Thank you.
2:00:37
And I think I'm missing someone up here.
2:00:40
Semisera.
2:00:43
I'm not sure.
2:00:45
Semisera.
2:00:48
K.
2:00:48
Thank you to this panel.
Bhairavi Desai
2:00:50
Thank you.