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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Adrian Aberzano, Taxi Driver and Medallion Owner, on Taxi Medallion Relief Program
4:44:22
·
117 sec
Adrian Aberzano, a taxi driver and medallion owner for 22 years, testifies in support of extending the Medallion Relief Program (MRP) grant. He explains how the program would significantly reduce his loan payments and improve his financial situation.
- The MRP would cut Aberzano's loan in half, lower his interest rate, and provide a $30,000 grant towards the principal.
- The program would reduce his monthly payments by about $15,000 a year, providing much-needed financial relief.
- Aberzano urges the council to extend the program to help the remaining drivers who could benefit from it, emphasizing its potential to greatly improve drivers' quality of life.
Adrian Aberzano
4:44:22
Hi.
4:44:23
My name is Adriana Arberzano.
4:44:24
I am a native New Yorker, taxi driver, owner operator.
4:44:28
I've been driving a taxi for twenty two years.
4:44:31
I also own my medallion, owner operator.
4:44:33
I'm here to try to express my support for the MRP program and extending the grant that the city would give for the $30,000 to restructure the loans.
4:44:44
Currently, you know, my loan is $2,500.
4:44:47
If I can get into this program, it would cut my loan in half.
4:44:50
It would also give me a lower interest rate.
4:44:52
It would drop me about three points, and it would give me the grant of $30,000 towards the principal of my loan, and it would greatly affect my monthly overhead and my quality of life.
4:45:04
It would drop my payments about $15,000 a year, which with the mounting costs and the finance and be being beaten up financially over the years through the things that have happened in the city with Uber and the waves and everything else, it would provide much, much, much needed assistance to my overall nut and my overall expenses monthly.
4:45:27
So I implore you to try to extend the program for people like me who are at the tail end of this journey.
4:45:36
The New York's tax New York City Taxi Workers Alliance has been working tirelessly to try to raise the funding, and it seems like they're just at the tail end of wrapping everything up for people like me.
4:45:47
I know that there's a discrepancy in the time frame that was being allotted.
4:45:52
But again, I implore you to extend it to get the last maybe hundred drivers that are greatly affected by this.
4:46:02
You know, it would greatly affect the quality of life of the drivers.
4:46:09
I know for me it would be a major major major difference.
4:46:14
You know?
4:46:18
Thank you.