JOINT STATEMENT BY A.G. SCHNEIDERMAN & SUPERINTENDENT LAWSKY ON LYFT
NEW YORK – Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman and New York State Superintendent of Financial Services Benjamin M. Lawsky released the following statement regarding their motion for a temporary restraining order against the scheduled New York City launch of ride sharing service Lyft:
“After Lyft rejected a reasonable request by the State to delay its launch, we filed a motion for a temporary restraining order in State Supreme Court. As a result of that action, the court has granted the State a temporary restraining order preventing Lyft from launching in New York City.
We will return to court to address issues pertaining to Buffalo and Rochester in addition to New York City.
"We pursued this action only after repeatedly offering to work with Lyft in order to ensure that its business practices complied with the law. Instead of collaborating with the State to help square innovation with statute and protect the public as other technology companies have done as recently as July 11, 2014, Lyft decided to move ahead and simply ignore state and local laws. Lyft’s arguments are a disingenuous attempt to disguise old fashioned law breaking that jeopardizes public safety.
"We are pro-innovation and pro-competition. However, allowing Lyft to flout dozens of different laws would put the safety of New Yorkers at risk. In addition, it would put law abiding competitors at a substantial disadvantage. It would discourage innovators from innovating in a place where the regulatory environment would be unevenly applied. We are committed to fostering a competitive marketplace where each participant is treated fairly.
"We are hopeful that Lyft will now recognize that it has to play by the same set of rules as everyone else."
INDUSTRY NOTICE #14-28
WORKERS COMPENSATION POLICY REQUIREMENTS
FOR STREET HAIL LIVERY PERMIT HOLDERS
The owner of a NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) issued Street Hail Livery (SHL) permit is required per TLC Rule 82-15(a) to comply with the New York State Workers Compensation Laws. Per NYS Workers Compensation Law, the owner of a SHL permit must provide full Workers Compensation coverage for any driver who is hired or who leases the vehicle. Proof of coverage, either a current and valid Workers Compensation Insurance Policy or an Exemption Certificate issued by the New York State Workers Compensation Board (WCB), must be provided to the TLC in order to maintain compliance with both New York State Workers Compensation Laws and TLC rules.
An owner-operator who drives his or her vehicle 40 or more hours per week can seek an exemption to the Workers’ Compensation Law requirements. Instructions on how to apply for the exemption can be found on the WCB’s web site: http://www.wcb.ny.gov.
Information on coverage requirements can be found in a notice issued by the WCB on July 8, 2013 at:
http://www.wcb.ny.gov/content/main/SubjectNos/sn046_552.jsp
All current SHL permit holders and prospective permit purchasers need to be aware of the following:
- All current SHL permit holders: you will need to provide a Workers Compensation Policy or Exemption Certificate to the TLC. A directive on timing is being prepared and will be distributed.
- All prospective SHL permit purchasers: you will need to purchase a Workers Compensation Policy before the vehicle attached to your permit can be hacked-up. Because the Workers Compensation policy you submit must have the permit number on it when it is presented to us, and as you will not know the permit number until after you have purchased it, you will be unable to bring in a Workers Compensation Policy that meets that requirement on the date of your appointment. You will therefore be required to obtain the Workers Compensation Policy or Exemption Certificate AFTER you purchase the permit so that the permit number is appropriately listed on the Workers Compensation Policy.
The TLC will not issue a hack-up certification letter for any vehicle attached to a permit until a valid Workers Compensation Policy or Exemption Certificate has been turned in to us.
Workers Compensation Policies or Exemption Certificates can be submitted to the:
Division of Licensing and Standards
Owners Counter, Second Floor
3202 Queens Boulevard
Long Island City, NY 11101
This can be accomplished when:
- a vehicle is being attached to the permit by the owner utilizing the drop off box on the second floor, or
- by mailing it to the attention of the Compliance Unit - SHL WC at the same address.
If you have questions about this e-mail, please contact the TLC Call Center at 718-391-5501.
All Workers Compensation Policies or Exemption Certificates must be maintained current at all times and new documents must be submitted prior to the expiration of an existing Workers Compensation Policy or Exemption Certificate.
INDUSTRY NOTICE #14-29
UPDATE: SMARTPHONE USE TO ARRANGE FOR-HIRE
TRANSPORTATION IN TLC REGULATED INDUSTRIES
The TLC is dedicated to improving access to safe and plentiful taxi and for-hire vehicle service, and embraces new technologies that prove effective in achieving its goals. In recent years, smartphone applications (apps) designed to connect passengers with taxicabs and for-hire vehicles have generated excitement, as well as numerous questions from passengers, TLC Licensees, and smartphone app developers about what is permitted under TLC’s Rules. In 2011, the TLC issued Industry Notice 11-16 to respond to requests for clarification on whether TLC licensure of apps is required.
The TLC wishes to further clarify to the public and to its licensees how new programs such as the E-Hail Pilot and the Street Hail Livery program affect how passengers can use apps to arrange transportation with TLC-licensed bases and drivers. This information will be maintained on TLC’s website at the following link moving forward:
http://www.nyc.gov/html/tlc/html/industry/smartphone_apps.shtml
At present, passengers can arrange rides using smartphone apps in both yellow medallion taxicabs and For-Hire Vehicles (FHVs) - a category of for-hire service, which includes Black Cars, Livery or Community Car Services, luxury limousines, and the new apple-green Street Hail Liveries (SHLs). Each of these types of vehicles has its own set of guidelines pertaining to app usage, which are described in more detail on the webpage above.
NEW YORK CITY’S WHEELCHAIR-ACCESSIBLE
TAXI SERVICE NEARS 50,000TH TRIP
Accessible Taxi Dispatch Program Sets Sights on More Rides, More Taxis and a Summer BBQ: “Bigger, Better, Quicker!”
The Wheelchair-Accessible Taxi Dispatch program, administered by the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC), has served its 50,000th customer after only a year and a half in operation.
The service, which allows passengers to order an on-demand wheelchair-accessible taxi in Manhattan has seen steady growth and now routinely provides over 150 rides each day. That number is expected to sharply increase as additional wheelchair-accessible taxis are brought into service over the next several years to supplement the 631 accessible vehicles now on the street.
“We couldn’t be more thrilled with the progress of the Accessible Dispatch Program” said NYC Taxi and Limousine Commissioner Meera Joshi. “We made a lot of progress with only the initial 231 accessible taxicabs on the road.
The prospect of seeing the number of accessible taxis increase exponentially to ultimately be more than 50% of the entire taxi fleet, while average response times gets lower and lower, is incredibly exciting for us. It’s making a very real difference in people’s lives, and that’s just the best expression of what we do at the TLC.”
A Message from our 50,000th Passenger, Naomi Torrisi
“In March 2014, I was searching for a means of transportation for my mom who had just recently become reliant on a wheelchair. My mom, who is 96, had appointments with doctors in various parts of Manhattan and I searched the web looking for wheelchair-accessible transport. I found Accessible Dispatch, and since last March, I have regularly used this service to take my mom to and from her appointments.
Although we experienced some long waits in the beginning, and once had a driver who did not know how to use the wheelchair equipment in his vehicle, our experience overall has been very positive. The drivers have been polite, courteous, and helpful and the cabs have been comfortable and state-of-the-art.
The dispatchers are prompt and helpful, and the website is very user friendly. Our wait times have been consistently less and less and, most recently, the cabs have been uniformly arriving on time. We are so pleased to have this reliable service and consider it a unique advantage for wheelchair users who live in NYC. Many thanks for the opportunity to share my experiences with you!”
Victor Calise, Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities
“People with Disabilities have the right to travel around the city just like everyone else and the accessible dispatch program proves that it is possible” said Victor Calise, Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities. “TLC has made and continues to make improvements that will cut down wait times to a NYC minute.
Once 50% of the cabs are accessible, the 90,000 New Yorkers who use wheelchairs and the five million visitors with disabilities who come to NYC each year will be able to hail a cab the old fashioned way. This brings us closer to making NYC the most accessible city in the world!”
Launched in September 2012 by the TLC, Accessible Dispatch allows users to order an accessible cab by mobile app, phone, online or via text. Wait times from the minute an order is made to the moment a taxi arrives at the pick-up are now averaging around 15-20 minutes. Passengers pay the standard metered fare from point of pick-up to their destination. Accessible Dispatch pays for the “deadhead” mileage portion of driver trips en route to pick-ups through a fee paid by all New York City taxi medallion owners.
Marc Stecker, writer of the popular blog "Wheelchair Kamikaze"
"The accessible dispatch program has really been a game changer for me,” said Marc Stecker, writer of the popular blog Wheelchair Kamikaze which chronicles his life with multiple sclerosis. “Instead of being limited by the range of my wheelchair, it's comforting to know that Manhattan is now accessible through the use of a simple smartphone app or a quick phone call. It's always very gratifying to see that wheelchair accessible cab roll up, offering not only convenience but a new level of freedom to New Yorkers with mobility issues."
William Scalzi, President of Metro Taxi - Accessible Dispatch
A pilot program administered by the TLC two years ago yielded an average of eight dispatched trips per day. Last month, Accessible Dispatch ridership went as high as 203 trips in a single day.
Accessible Dispatch is operated on behalf of the TLC by Metro Taxi, a Connecticut transportation company that uses its state-of-the-art operations center in West Haven to remotely dispatch the taxis located in Manhattan. The TLC oversees the program.
“This program is about more than taxis,” said William Scalzi, President of Metro Taxi. “It’s about giving people the ability to be spontaneous, to do what they want to do, when they want to do it. It’s about giving people a chance to participate in everything that a great city like New York has to offer. We just make it possible for them to get there.”
About Accessible Dispatch: Accessible Dispatch allows passengers to pre-arrange a yellow medallion taxi for any trip originating in Manhattan and ending anywhere in the five boroughs, Westchester and Nassau Counties, and the three regional airports. The service is available 24/7, 365 days a year with no advance reservations necessary.
Accessible Dispatch can be hailed five different ways:
(1) via the free mobile app, “Wheels on Wheels” (WOWTaxi) available at the iTunes store;
(2) by calling 311;
(3) by phoning the dispatch center directly at (646) 599-9999;
(4) by texting a request to (646) 400-0789; or
(5) by ordering online at www.accessibledispatch.com.
To find out more about the TLC, or to review its rules, regulations and procedures, we encourage you to visit our official Web site at www.nyc.gov/taxi or contact 311 in New York City, or 212-NEW-YORK from outside of New York City.
WHERE NEW YORK CITY DRIVERS COME FROM
TLC licensed drivers come from all five New York City boroughs, 31 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, and more than 175 countries around the world. A handful of these countries have only one driver in a company, whereas other countries have tens of thousands
represented throughout:
- The highest concentration of yellow taxi drivers in New York City comes from Bangladesh with over 10,250 drivers represented.
- Drivers from Bangladesh now represent 23.1% of all yellow taxi drivers.
- Pakistan comes in second with 5,850 yellow taxi drivers, about 13.2% of all yellow taxi drivers.
- This represents a shift from 2005 when the highest concentration came from Pakistan,14.4%. Bangladesh was second at 13.6%.
- The concentration of drivers coming from the U.S. and associated territories has also decreased from 9.1% in 2005 to 6.0% today.
For FHV drivers the number one place of birth is the Dominican Republic. Drivers from this country represent 19.5% of all FHV drivers, over 9,000 drivers in total. The second highest concentration of FHV drivers comes from the U.S. representing 9.6% of all FHV drivers, about 4,500 drivers.
WHERE DRIVERS LIVE
- About 88% of TLC licensed drivers live within the five boroughs that make up New York City.
- A plurality of yellow taxi drivers live in Queens, about 43%.
- After Queens the most popular boroughs are Brooklyn, 23%,
- the Bronx, 13%,
- Manhattan, 7%, and
- Staten Island, 2%.
In comparison, FHV drivers are more spread out throughout the five boroughs with:
- 29% of drivers in Queens,
- 24% in Brooklyn,
- 22% in the Bronx,
- 10% in Manhattan, and just
- 3% in Staten Island.
Among all Taxi and FHV drivers who do not live in New York City:
- most live in New Jersey, around 6,300 or 6% of all drivers,
- Long Island, about 4%,
- Upstate NY, 2%.
- Less than one percent of all drivers live elsewhere.
WHO DRIVERS ARE
Although female drivers have been behind the wheels of New York City cabs since the 1940s, the taxi industry continues to be nearly all male. This trend has held firm for many, many years. Around 49,500 (98.9%) of today’s yellow taxi drivers are male whereas just 536 are female. The percentage of female FHV drivers is slightly higher with a total of around 2,300 female drivers, just under 4% of all FHV drivers.
TLC licensed drivers range in age from:
- 19 years, the youngest age allowed by TLC Rules,
- to the oldest who turned 94 in August 2013.
- The average age for a New York City yellow taxi driver is 46 years old, up from 44 years old in 2005.
- For FHV drivers the average age is 47 years.
Looking at the age distributions for yellow taxi and FHV drivers:
- a larger share of yellow taxi drivers are younger in age than FHV drivers, with about 21% of yellow drivers under 35 years old and just 19% of FHV drivers.
- The largest age cohort for both groups of drivers is those between 50 and 54 years of age. Around 14% of yellow taxi drivers and 15% of FHV drivers fall into this age group.
© 2014 TLC Magazine Online, Inc. |
