COMMISSIONER’S LETTER

I recently returned from attending the 21st Annual Conference of the International Association of Transportation Regulators (IATR). This year, as in years past, the conference offered taxi and for-hire regulators from both national and international jurisdictions a chance to delve into important issues such as – clean air vehicles, accessible transportation, customer service and driver retention and safety.

As Chair of the IATR’s education committee, I was privileged to help develop the conference program along with my colleagues. The over arching theme of the conference was “Planning for the Future”, resulting in the following day long modules on such topics as:

(1) “Sustainability and Clean Air Vehicles”, which explored how far we have come in the development and usage of “green taxis” in the two years since we focused on the issue at an earlier conference;

(2) “Driver Personal Safety”, at which we discussed the latest practices and programs used nationally and internationally to protect our driver workforce; and

(3) “Developing and Sustaining a Professional Driver and Regulator’s Workforce”, which tackled the ways in which our regulates industries remained financially viable, and how we, as regulators, could support these industries through effective training and enforcement practices.

The conference was an extended dialogue on how regulators should be forward thinking and focused on long term goals and policies, such as:

• regulators keeping their regulated businesses economically viable in light of surging gas prices by exploring alternative fueled vehicle plans; and
  
  
  
• ensuring a professional and experienced labor force of drivers that will provide quality service for years to come by ensuring their safety, economic viability as well as sustained and effective enforcement against unlicensed operators.

I facilitated and moderated the first of the conference’s three days which began with review of an IATR survey of its members on the use of clean air taxicabs. We continued with a panel of distinguished professionals from London, Winnipeg, California and Baltimore whose jurisdictions have had many years of collective experience with testing the various available types of alternative fuel vehicles. A subsequent panel made up of experts from Florida, Toronto, Montreal, British Columbia and San Francisco took up the question of regulatory mandates and voluntary incentives to place more fuel efficient vehicles into service.

Regulators and their industries have come a long way since we last broached this topic at the 2006 IATR conference in Seattle, where only one-third of member jurisdictions had experience of any kind with clean air vehicles. Now, four IATR member jurisdictions have committed programs in place and vehicles on the road, a trend that is increasing as we speak.

TLC Commissioner Matthew W. Daus makes a presentation on “Sustainability and Clean Air Vehicles.”

Conference highlights included:

• Illuminating discussions about the training and retention of drivers (led by Craig Leisy, Manager, Seattle Consumer Affairs Division),
  
  
  
• Driver safety (expertly led by former IATR President and Manager, Vehicle Licensing for Mississauga, Ontario Canada) and
  
  
  
• Best practices in the development and sustaining of a professional regulatory work force (facilitated by Susan Jones, the IATR’s Vice President and Director of By-Law and Regulatory Services for Ottawa, Ontario Canada).

Interesting panels were featured on topics like “Challenges and Best Practices to Retain Service Focused Taxicab Drivers” with such knowledgeable regulators as John Scott from San Diego, IATR Immediate Past President Joe Mora of Miami Dade Florida, Diane Sibley of Windsor Ontario, Canadian industry leader Hanif Patney, and Pam Hayes of Vancouver British Columbia.

Training expert Glenn Steeves of Toronto and Charles Johnson, a vendor of training solutions offered presentations on “Service Excellence and its Relationship to Taxi Driver Compensation and Retention.”

Panelists Marc Halat and Leila Gosselin of Calgary, Alberta; Allan Matthews of London, Angela Morgan of Burlington, Ontario and new IATR President Malachi Hull of Atlanta, Georgia had an enlightening discussion of “Professional Training and Certification of Taxicab Inspectors and Regulators: Challenges and Best Practices.”

“Current Enforcement Challenges in Regulating” featured a panel made up of host Tom Drishler of Los Angeles, and regulators Larry Regnier of Niagara Falls, Ontario and Cathy McEwan of Ottawa, Ontario. Of course, these are just a few of the highlights.

What made this year’s conference particularly exciting was that the IATR has chosen New York City as host of its 2009 conference. While we regularly receive visitors from around the world (this year alone we have received delegations from Rome, Japan, China, Germany, just to name a few), this is truly an unparalleled honor for us, and it tells us the regulators of taxi towns from around the world want to see what we do and how we do it. I was also honored to be nominated by my colleagues as President-Elect of the IATR – a privilege which I accepted my tenure as IATR President will commence around this time next year.

I will keep you all up to date as the conference shapes up over the next year, but suffice it to say that this 2009 conference will be about more than just meetings and presentations…..though they are valuable and have their place. We also intend for our regulatory partners to get out into the field, and have some golden opportunities to meet and talk to the people who make up the industries we regulate, and see what they do and how they do it firsthand. It is nice to know that our regulated industries enjoy the same reputation as we do at the TLC!

From left to right, panelists Jo-Ann Bravo of Orange County, Jerry Kozubal of Winnipeg, Manitoba;
Clifford Watts of Baltimore, Maryland and Allan Matthews of London, England presented an expert’s view of
“Regulatory Experiences with Alternative Fuel Vehicles.”

I would be remiss if I did not touch upon the challenging economic times we are currently facing. While I do not believe that anyone or any industry will be immune to the downturn, I do believe that we can benefit from some of the positive lessons of history. To look back for a healthy dose of confidence, one need only look at the black car industry, which has not only repeatedly survived difficult economic times, but went on to prosper robustly in the aftermath. The medallion taxi industry has been similarly resilient, coming back to almost full strength within two months of 9/11. Back to the present, I know that the fairly steep drops we have seen in the price of gas in recent months have been helpful, perhaps, acting as something of an economic buffer for our regulated industries. I am hopeful that our industries will continue to be positioned well during these potentially difficult times to come. It goes without saying, however, that we will continue to monitor conditions carefully.

As many of our readers by now already know, there is a pending legal challenge to the TLC’s 25 MPG rules which went into effect on October 1. Although we did allow a small number of retirement age vehicles to remain on the road during the proceedings, I continue to encourage our medallion owners to keep “going green” by voluntarily placing hybrids on the road sooner rather then later so that drivers can obtain the economic benefits of gas savings as well.

While there is nothing conclusive that I can say at the moment with regard to the suit itself I do want to share a message with the men and women who drive taxicabs, much as I have shared this message with the riding public: you may drive these vehicles with the assurances of the TLC and their manufacturers that they are safe. In fact, one very obvious indicator that a company disapproves of the way in which their vehicles are being used is for them to void its warranty:

Not a SINGLE warranty for any vehicle approved for use as a New York City taxicab has been voided.

I am pleased to report that the Ford Motor Company, in particular, has made it abundantly clear that they are entirely comfortable with the use of its Escape hybrid model as a New York City taxicab. So again, you can rest assured that the hybrid vehicles you are driving today or will be driving in the future are safe for both you and your passengers. So while you are helping the city to “go green,” enjoy the extra green that will be in your pockets as well!

On a particularly happy note, in one of many recent success stories made possible by the new taxicab technology that we have nicknamed “T-PEP”, and its use of GPS to help us in times like this, the irreplaceable antique viola and bows of Broadway and concert violist Ann Roggen, valued at $66,000, were recovered within several hours after it was left in a taxicab which I hand delivered to Ms. Roggen along with cab driver Deniz Getting.

Thanks to our “special delivery,” Ms. Roggen was able to play in a concert that very evening with her own instrument instead of a borrowed one. Making sure this was a happy tale through to its conclusion, Ms. Roggen was delivered to her New Jersey Philharmonic Orchestra concert by none other than Mr. Getting in the very cab in which she had left her instrument in a night earlier! I was so impressed with Mr. Getting’s integrity that he is now a leading candidate for “Driver of the Year” at the TLC’s annual Driver Recognition Ceremony next March.

Lastly, but certainly not least, I wanted to offer my congratulations to Ms. Frances Studivent, a customer service professional in the TLC’s call center. The TLC has worked particularly hard in the area of providing quality customer service over the last few years, and the results have been tangible. So when the TLC, like most other City agencies, recently celebrated Customer Service Week with a number of events designed to enhance the service we provide to our clients (which we define as our driver, vehicle owner and business licensees as well as the riding public) we had a lot to celebrate!

The week’s events also served to single out those who have consistently provided excellent service, and to choose one such individual for higher citywide honors, including recognition by Mayor Bloomberg – who encouraged all city agencies to recognize our employees during this important week.

While the TLC truly does have some customer service superstars (in every department of our agency), our very deserving candidate was Ms. Frances Studivent who has been with the TLC for almost three decades…..all spent in the agency’s Consumer Relations Unit.

Frances is knowledgeable, courteous, and really gives new meaning to the term “going the extra mile.” Perhaps, most tellingly, few in the agency have received the sheer volume of grateful letters, calls and emails attesting to her professionalism and kindness. Bravo and well deserved, Frances! But also my heartfelt thanks go out to every customer service employee of our agency, from those who work the windows in Licensing and Adjudications to the Inspection lanes, as well as our very busy Call center – all of whom work hard to serve and benefit our customers – licensees and passengers alike.

Happy Customer Service Week, and please allow me to wish everyone reading this column a happy, safe and prosperous autumn! Until next month…

A thrilled Ann Roggen, at right, receives her lost viola from TLC Commissioner Matthew Daus (center) and cabbie Deniz Getting, who is now a candidate for honors at the TLC's annual ceremony

The TLC's 311 Consumer Call Center celebrates Customer Service Week

Commissioner Matthew Daus congratulates Customer Service Honoree Frances Studivent on a job well done..

Watch the TLC web site at www.nyc.gov/taxi for updates, or
to access monthly medallion price charts.

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