A number of the Industry Notices below were made available by the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission in December but not in time to be published in the January 2015 issue of TLC Magazine. - Editor

INDUSTRY NOTICE #14-50

UPDATE TO INDUSTRY NOTICES #14-23 AND #14-33:
TLC DRIVER’S LICENSE REQUIREMENTS TO OPERATE STREET HAIL LIVERIES (BORO TAXIS)

The New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) is extending the grace period for Street Hail Livery (SHL) drivers to fulfill the requirements below to operate SHL vehicles and Accessible SHL vehicles through June 30, 2015. This is an update to Industry Notices 14-23 and 14-33.

To operate an SHL vehicle, drivers must have one of the following pursuant to TLC Rule §54-04.1:

  • A valid Taxicab Driver’s License, OR

  • A For-Hire Vehicle (FHV) Driver’s License issued on or before July 1, 2013, OR

  • A Paratransit Driver’s License (for Accessible SHLs only).


To operate an Accessible SHL vehicle, drivers must have one of the following pursuant to TLC Rule §54-04(n):

  • An FHV Driver’s License issued on or before July 1, 2013 and completion of the wheelchair assistance training course, OR

  • A valid Taxicab Driver’s License and completion of the wheelchair assistance training course, OR

  • A Paratransit Driver’s License.


During the grace period, drivers with FHV Driver’s Licenses issued after July 1, 2013 can continue to drive SHL vehicles and no summons will be issued. Likewise, drivers of Accessible SHL vehicles can continue to operate during the grace period without completing an approved training course on wheelchair passenger assistance. However, starting on July 1, 2015, the LPEP system will lock out all ineligible drivers and they will be unable to operate an SHL without the appropriate licensure and/or training.

INDUSTRY NOTICE #14-51

IMPORTANT NOTICE FOR UNRESTRICTED MEDALLION OWNERS:
OFFICIAL TAXICAB VEHICLE ACTIVATION DATE IS APRIL 20, 2015

The New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission wishes to notify its licensees that, beginning April 20, 2015, all unrestricted medallion taxicab owners must replace retiring taxicabs with the Official Taxicab Vehicle (“OTV”), also known as the Taxi of Tomorrow, or with an approved accessible vehicle as authorized by TLC Rules, or with an approved hybrid electric vehicle. Please note that the specifications for hybrid vehicles have also changed, and that change goes into effect on April 20, 2015.

Please consult TLC Rules at: www.nyc.gov/html/tlc/html/rules/rules.shtml for additional details about the Taxi of Tomorrow program.

INDUSTRY NOTICE #14-52

TAXICAB/SHL IMPROVEMENT SURCHARGE GO INTO EFFECT ON JANUARY 1, 2015

The New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) wishes to remind its licensees and passengers that the Taxicab/Street Hail Livery (SHL) Improvement Surcharge went into effect as of 12:01 a.m. on January 1, 2015.

The $0.30 surcharge is being added to each trip in a yellow taxi and hailed trips in an SHL to assist in achieving the City’s goal of a 50% wheelchair accessible taxi fleet by the year 2020. The surcharge will automatically be recorded by the meter at the start of each metered trip.

It is important for taxicab and SHL vehicle owners to ensure that their in-vehicle equipment has been appropriately updated. If you have any questions regarding the necessary updates, please reference Industry Notice #14-43 issued on October 30, 2014:

www.nyc.gov/html/tlc/downloads/pdf/industry_notice_14_43.pdf

INDUSTRY NOTICE #14-53

TLC RULES PROHIBITING “CROSS-CLASS DISPATCHING” ARE NOW IN EFFECT

The New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) reminds its licensees that the changes to the FHV Dispatch Rules adopted by the Commission at the November 20, 2014 meeting are now in effect. Beginning December 31, 2014, FHV Bases are only permitted to dispatch FHVs of the same class of service as the Dispatching Base. For example, a Black Car Base is only permitted to dispatch a Black Car, and a Livery Base is only permitted to dispatch a Livery Vehicle.

Updated requirements for bases that dispatch FHVs affiliated with a different base are also in effect. If a base dispatches an FHV that is affiliated with a different base, the Dispatching Base is required to always provide the customer with the following information:

  • the Base Name of the Dispatching Base,

  • the Base License Number of the Dispatching Base,

  • the Base Name of the Affiliated Base, and

  • the Base License Number of the Affiliated Base.


The base must clearly identify which base is the Dispatching Base and which base is the Affiliated Base. This information must be provided in all communications with the customer, and in any materials or receipts provided to the customer. Failure of the base to disclose this information to the passenger may result in a penalty of up to $400.

Additionally, the Dispatching Base is the base that is responsible for ensuring that vehicles have complied with TLC’s inspection requirements for all trips that they dispatch.

The FHV Dispatch Rules adopted by the Commission also require that FHV Bases regularly submit trip records to the TLC. TLC has been meeting with industry members to determine how best to begin collecting these records. Additional information on how to comply with the
trip record requirement will be provided in a future Industry Notice.

TAXI OF TOMORROW PARTNERSHIP TO HELP NYC NAVIGATE THE ROAD TO AN ACCESSIBLE FUTURE

TLC Sets April 20 Date for Future Cab Phase-In

The New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) announced that, following discussions with Nissan North America, it will begin phasing in the Nissan NV200 – the Taxi of Tomorrow (ToT) – beginning April 20, 2015. After that date, almost all taxi owners who choose not to buy a hybrid taxi will replace their existing vehicles with the ToT as they reach their normally scheduled retirement date.

Among the key benefits achieved was:

  • a firm commitment by Nissan to the manufacture of sufficient numbers of wheelchair accessible NV200s to help the City reach its stated goal of 50% wheelchair accessibility by the year 2020, over 7,000 accessible vehicles.

  • Nissan also agreed to lower the vehicle sticker price over the life of the agreement, and

  • to end its right to exclusivity over hybrid taxis. This allows the TLC to offer taxi purchasers a variety of choices among an approved list of hybrid-electric vehicles.


Said TLC Commissioner/Chair Meera Joshi, “Passengers have already ridden and drivers have already driven over 8 million miles in the several hundred NV200s on the road today. The feedback from both is overwhelmingly positive. We are pleased to be able to offer this superior riding and driving experience to many more as they are phased in over several years. And our partnership with Nissan gives us unparalleled and unprecedented input in future model years.”

Said Victor Calise, Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities, “The City’s commitment to proceeding with the Taxi of Tomorrow provides increased access for people with disabilities. We will continue to work with advocates to promote more accessibility throughout the TLC’s regulated industries.”

Said Paul Steely White, Executive Director of Transportation Alternatives, “As New York City streets change to improve safety, taxicabs need to be designed to ensure that passengers,
drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians all have the safest possible travel experience. The Taxi of Tomorrow has design features to protect the most vulnerable users of our streets.

The sliding doors will prevent dooring which is the leading cause of injury for cyclists. Exit lights will alert people on bikes and in approaching cars that a cab rider is disembarking. And, in the worst case scenario, when a collision can’t be avoided the Taxi of Tomorrow’s sloped hood design will help reduce the severity of injury to a pedestrian or bicyclist
who is hit.”

Said Bhairavi Desai, principal organizer for the NY Taxi Workers Alliance, “We fully support the TLC’s starting this program....the majority of taxi vehicles are actually paid for and maintained by individual drivers and, with the warranty of the Taxi of Tomorrow, drivers will have the best economic protection that’s ever been offered for vehicle owners in this industry.

It’s also the first taxi designed to be ergonomic for drivers, and given that 80% of drivers experience lower back pain, it’s very significant that this is the first taxi designed with drivers’ safety and health in mind.”

Said Michael O’Loughlin, Campaign Director, Cab Riders United, “All New Yorkers who pay for taxi service deserve a cab that meets the highest safety standards and provides the best possible passenger experience.

Cab riders can celebrate that Mayor de Blasio negotiated a deal that will put on our streets many more taxis with built in safety features like passenger airbags, safety tested partitions,
and high visibility seatbelts, plus amenities that range from legroom to anti-microbial seats to a roof with a view.

Importantly, the deal will also bring these benefits to passengers in the city’s growing fleet of wheelchair accessible taxis. We urge the mayor and TLC to resolve in the New Year ahead to require these same rigorous safety and passenger comfort standards of all vehicles used as NYC taxis.”

The TLC will have both the Wheelchair Accessible and standard versions of the NV200 Taxi of Tomorrow available for viewing in front of its offices at 33 Beaver Street, just west of Broad Street. Please e-mail gordong@tlc.nyc.gov and press@tlc.nyc.gov to let us know you’re coming!

TLC INVESTIGATION REVEALS WIDESPREAD NON-COMPLIANCE WITH ACCESSIBILITY RULES AMONG BLACK CAR & LIVERY SERVICE PROVIDERS

On December 17, 2014, the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) announced the results of its first ever comprehensive industry wide enforcement
initiative to gauge the For-Hire Vehicle (FHV) industry’s compliance with rules requiring them to provide equivalent service, same wait time/price as standard FHVs, to passengers
who use wheelchairs. If an FHV (Black Car or Livery) base does not have an affiliated and available Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle (WAV), the rules allow for them to contract with a provider that can dispatch WAVs on an as-needed basis.

Two months ago, the TLC commenced a broad scale undercover operation to determine the FHV industry’s level of compliance with the accessibility requirements, and the findings suggest widespread non- compliance.

Of all the 472 bases contacted, 422, or 90%, could not provide the required service. Most, approximately 322, said that no wheelchair accessible vehicle (WAV) was available while the others said they could provide a WAV, but that it would take longer or cost more.

“Our investigation makes clear that a large percentage of the FHV industry is not independently providing the level of access that our rules require,” said TLC Commissioner and Chair Meera Joshi. “Deterrent penalties will be assessed against each non-compliant base, but there is a systemic problem here, and we will continue to work with disability advocates and the industry toward a comprehensive solution. It is simply unacceptable for persons with disabilities to face this kind of obstruction to being served.”

“Getting a livery or black car should be something that is relatively easy,” said Victor Calise, Commissioner, Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities, “but as TLC’s investigation
indicates this is far more of a challenge than it should be for a person with a disability. I commend the TLC for their efforts in exposing this disparity as well as for its commitment to ongoing monitoring.”

“This is exactly what we’ve been asking for,” said Edith Prentiss, Chair of the Taxis For All Campaign, “and we are so glad that the TLC is taking a firm stand against these violations.”

Non-compliant bases will face $1,000 fines for violating TLC rules §59B- 17(c)(1) and/or (c)(2).

 

 

 

© 2015 TLC Magazine Online, Inc.