INDUSTRY NOTICE #15-13 • IMPORTANT NOTICE FOR STREET HAIL LIVERY PERMIT OWNERS AND MEDALLION OWNERS AND AGENTS

TAXICAB/STREET HAIL LIVERY IMPROVEMENT SURCHARGE PAYMENT PROCESS

The New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) wishes to remind its licensees that on January 1, 2015, a $0.30 per trip Improvement Surcharge went into effect. Taxicabs and Street Hail Liveries (SHLs) were automatically updated to charge the new rate for all hailed trips.

This surcharge will help fund an increase in the number of wheelchair accessible vehicles (WAVs) on the road to assist in achieving the City’s goal of a 50% wheelchair accessible taxi fleet by the year 2020.

Medallion owners/agents and SHL permit owners are responsible for paying the surcharges to the New York City Taxi & Limousine Commission (TLC) each quarter to be placed into a Vehicle Fund and a Driver Fund. The TLC will provide for disburse payments to WAV owners and drivers starting in 2016.

Payment for the first quarter of 2015 is due by May 1, 2015. Failure to submit your payment by that date may result in a summons which could result in fines and/or possible suspension of your license until compliance.

Each SHL permit owner, medallion owner, and/or medallion agent will receive a quarterly statement from their TPEP or LPEP provider. For the first quarter the surcharges will be due on May 1, 2015 and will follow the timeline below:

• April 5, 2015 – Improvement Surcharge reports will be available on the TPEP and LPEP Provider web portals. Do not access the reports before April 5th to ensure that all trips are included in the reporting.
  
  
• April 5 – April 20, 2015 – Owners and agents will be able to review their Improvement Surcharge reports and raise any discrepancies with their TPEP or LPEP Providers during the 15 day Challenge Period.
  
  
• April 20, 2015 – Amounts due are finalized. Please be aware that you will not be able to pay an amount other than what is listed on your final invoice.
  
  
• April 24, 2015 – Payment is available in LARS. Payments can only be made using the NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission’s License Applications, Renewals & Summonses (LARS) website which can be found at: www1.nyc.gov/lars/.
  
  
• May 1, 2015 – Payment is due to the TLC.
  

NOTE: No statements or reminder notices will be sent. You are responsible for checking the TPEP or LPEP provider web site in a timely manner to obtain the amount due and allow time to review the statement before making your payment.

The remaining quarters will follow the same timeline with the Improvement Surcharge reports available on the 5th of the month following the quarter’s end. These reports are followed by a 15 day Challenge Period that ends on the 20th of the month for any payment disputes.

Once the Challenge Period ends, payments will be available through the LARS website on the 24th of the month and due to the TLC on the first day of the subsequent month.

If you are a customer of CMT, to access CMT reports and payment instructions:

• Log into the new CMT web portal as an operator at https://fleetnet.cmtnyc.com;
  
  
• Under the “Reports” menu click “Improvement Surcharge”; and
  
  
• Towards the upper right of the page next to “Actions: Download PDF” click “Go”.
  

If you are a customer of VeriFone, to access VeriFone reports and payment instructions:

• Log into the VeriFone web portal where you get your MTA tax report;
  
  
• Click on “Reports”, located on the left-hand side of the navigation bar; and
  
  
• Select “Totals Trips Report” and input the relevant Improvement Surcharge period (in this case, 201501) and click the “Improvement Surcharge Export” button.
  

Please follow the “Payment Instructions” at the bottom of the statement that clearly outline how to make the payment using the LARS website. No partial payments will be accepted, and a new quarter cannot be paid if previous quarters have not been paid.

To pay you must have a valid checking account, credit card, or debit card, and e-mail address. American Express, Discover, MasterCard, and Visa are accepted.

Questions regarding amounts owed should be directed to your TPEP or LPEP Provider.

Please remember that there is a 15 day Challenge Period for payment disputes. Once the challenge period ends, the amount due is finalized and no changes to the current quarter can be made.

Any changes made to the previous quarter after the challenge period ends will be reflected in the next quarter’s statement as a credit to the current quarter’s balance due.

INDUSTRY NOTICE #15-14

FOR-HIRE VEHICLE TRIP RECORD SUBMISSION IS LIVE

Today, the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) released instructions for bases on how to upload trip records pursuant to the FHV accountability rules. Bases that did not opt to use the TLC-hosted SFTP may use the instruction guide to understand the process for submitting their records in CSV or Excel formats. Please visit http://www.nyc.gov/triprecords and download the Windows Drive Mount Instruction Guide.

Bases must follow strict naming conventions when uploading their files. The naming conventions are as follows:

1. CSV File Submission:

If you are submitting trip records in the CSV file format you must name your file using the following format:

• For the main trip record file:

1. type your base license number then underscore;
   
   
2. then the start date of your trip record (year,month,day);
   
   
3. then a hyphen;
   
   
4. then the end date of your trip record (year, month, day); and ".csv".
   

See the example: B00000_20150101-20150228.csv

• For the Vehicle Converter file:

1. type your base license number then underscore;
   
   
2. then "vehicles";
   
   
3. then the start date of your trip record (year,month,day);
   
   
4. then a hyphen;
   
   
5. then the end date of your trip record (year, month, day); and ".csv".
   

See the example: B00000_vehicles_20150101-20150228.csv

• For the Driver Converter file:

1. type your base license number then underscore;
   
   
2. then "drivers";
   
   
3. then the start date of your trip record (year,month,day);
   
   
4. then a hyphen;
   
   
5. then the end date of your trip record (year, month, day); and ".csv".
   

See the example: B00000_drivers_20150101-20150228.csv

2. Excel File Submission:

If you are submitting trip records in the Excel file format, you must name your file using the following format:

• For the main trip record file:

1. type your base license number then underscore;
   
   
2. then the start date of your trip record (year,month,day);
   
   
3. then a hyphen;
   
   
4. then the end date of your trip record (year, month, day); and ".xls".
   

See the example: B00000_20150101-20150228.xls

• For the Vehicle Converter file:

• type your base license number then underscore;
  
  
• then "vehicles";
  
  
• then the start date of your trip record (year,month,day);
  
  
• then a hyphen;
  
  
• then the end date of your trip record (year, month, day); and ".xls".
  

See the example: B00000_vehicles_20150101-20150228.xls

• For the Driver Converter file:

• type your base license number then underscore;
  
  
• then "drivers";
  
  
• then the start date of your trip record (year,month,day);
  
  
• then a hyphen;
  
  
• then the end date of your trip record (year, month, day); and ".xls".
  

See the example: B00000_drivers_20150101-20150228.xls

TLC is currently developing a website that will automatically name trip record files when they are submitted. TLC will notify all FHV bases when that website becomes available.

If you have questions about this Industry Notice or how to submit trip records, please contact the TLC at 718-391-5501 or e-mail triprecords@tlc.nyc.gov.

INDUSTRY NOTICE #15-15

OFFICIAL TAXICAB VEHICLE (OTV) ACTIVATION DATE IS POSTPONED

Pursuant to a recent court order, the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) is informing all Medallion Taxicab Owners and Agents that the April 20, 2015 Official Taxicab Vehicle (OTV) Activation Date is postponed.

All models currently approved for use as a taxicab may continue to be placed into service until further notice. The list of approved taxicab vehicles can be found on the TLC website.

INDUSTRY NOTICE #15-16

TLC APPROVES FIRST PARTICIPANT IN THE VEHICLE SAFETY TECHNOLOGY PILOT

Today, the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) approved the first participant in the Vehicle Safety Technology Pilot: IonFleets, Inc.

A Vision Zero initiative, the Vehicle Safety Technology Pilot will test and evaluate the efficacy of black boxes, anti-speeding technologies, driver alert systems, and related analytic software, in promoting safe driving of TLC regulated vehicles.

This approval marks the beginning of the Pilot which will last for the next twelve months. TLC will continue accepting applications throughout the Pilot, and will issue additional industry notices as participants are named.

TLC would like to remind all industry participants that any use of in-vehicle technology must also comply with New York State Vehicle Traffic Law, which is available here:

public.leginfo.state.ny.us/lawssrch.cgi?NVLWO: (scroll down to VAT).

For more information about the Pilot, please visit the Vehicle Safety Technology Pilot webpage: www.nyc.gov/tlc/html/industry/veh_safety_tech_pilot_program.shtml

Interested industry participants - including agents, fleets, bases, taxi, street-hail livery, commuter van and FHV owners - who may be interested in participating in the pilot program using IonFleet's technology should reach out to IonFleets at 917-387-3400 or visit www.ionfleets.com.

INDUSTRY NOTICE #15-17

TLC ANNOUNCES MEDALLION VEHICLE RETIREMENT EXTENSION

In light of recent litigation, which has postponed the Official Taxicab Vehicle (OTV) Activation Date, the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) will extend the retirement dates of those vehicles scheduled to retire before June 30, 2015.

All Taxicab vehicles with retirement dates scheduled April 20, 2015 to June 29, 2015 will receive a new retirement date of June 30, 2015.

Owners may continue operating their existing vehicles until the first scheduled inspection on or after June 30, 2015.

All Taxicab vehicles must continue to appear for and pass all scheduled inspections.

THE NEW YORK CITY TAXI LIMOUSINE COMMISSION AND
FAMILIES FOR SAFE STREETS PRESENT A VISION ZERO SAFETY VIDEO

"Drive Like Your Family Lives Here"

The stories of five families devastated by traffic tragedy

The New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC), in partnership with Families For Safe Streets, the NYC Department of Transportation (DOT) and the New York City Police Department (NYPD), presented the Vision Zero inspired 15 minute video feature, "Drive Like Your Family Lives Here." Among other future uses to come, the video will be integrated into driver training programs for prospective taxi and For-Hire Vehicle drivers, as well as fleet training programs at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and the NYC Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS). The video may also be viewed through the TLC's web site at www.nyc.gov/taxi starting March 31.

The video offers a frank and often emotional glimpse through the eyes of members of five featured families who have lost loved ones to traffic related tragedies in recent years. These five families were among those attending the launch event held at the Crosby Street Hotel in Lower Manhattan.

The TLC produced the video as part of its ongoing mandate to help bring about an end to traffic fatalities, the principal goal of Mayor Bill de Blasio's Vision Zero action plan. The TLC is one of three lead agencies tasked with implementing Vision Zero alongside the NYPD and DOT.

The Video may be viewed at: http://youtu.be/OAnSw3nzj0U

"Drive like your family lives here: that's our message. These are all our children, our parents, our brothers and our sisters. These tragedies could be any of ours. We have each other's lives in our hands. Above all things, Vision Zero is about all of us taking collective responsibility for making our streets safer," said Mayor Bill de Blasio.

Said TLC Commissioner and Chair Meera Joshi, "I am deeply inspired by the courage these families exhibit on a daily basis. The fact that they have dedicated themselves to sharing their very personal pain as they have to help prevent others from experiencing such profound loss goes beyond mere generosity.

I believe this video will leave an indelible mark in the minds of all who see it, and that they will come away with a renewed understanding of the awesome responsibility a driver has to everyone around them.

I am also grateful to our partners in the advocacy and government communities. There's no way we could have done this without their expertise and their enthusiasm."

"I have been deeply impressed with Families for Safe Streets's success persuading our legislators in Albany and our leaders in New York City about the urgency of Vision Zero. I anticipate that their personal experiences will have an even more powerful effect on TLC's more than 100,000 drivers," said DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg. "This video will play an important role in training taxi drivers on the tragic consequences of reckless driving. We will continue to work closely with the advocacy community as we move forward with Vision Zero goals for education and awareness."

"The NYPD is dedicated to protecting New Yorkers and using all available resources to prevent fatal collisions and the needless loss of life. Through collaboration on multiple levels, we are working to enforce the law and let New Yorkers know that their choices matter. Together we can all make decisions that will save lives and keep the city safe," said Police Commissioner William J. Bratton.

Said Amy Tam-Liao, of Families for Safe Streets, "It is our hope that our story, along with the others, will serve as another powerful tool in our effort toward Vision Zero, because no family should needlessly suffer as ours has. As painful as it was to retell our story, the medium of video may connect with people in a way where words by themselves may sometimes not be enough."

Said Lizi Rahman, of Families for Safe Streets, "I hope that the video will tell drivers a person killed by a vehicle is not merely a name or number. There is a person behind the name, and there is a family behind that person, and there is a community of family and friends behind that person. That person had dreams, hopes, and plans for the coming weeks, months and years just like all of us, which were crushed by a reckless driver.

"This film will have an impact on some drivers, if not all. They will think twice before driving carelessly or recklessly. We only pay attention to something when we associate our own family to the situation. Thinking that my careless driving could kill my own family would certainly slow me down."

About the NYC TLC:

The New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) was created in 1971, and is the agency responsible for the regulation and licensing of over 200,000 yellow medallion taxicabs and for-hire vehicles, their drivers, and the businesses that operate and support their industries. It is recognized as the largest and most active taxi and limousine regulatory body in the United States.

ACCESS-A-RIDE YELLOW TAXI DEBIT CARD PROGRAM

The MTA and the TLC have worked together to make wheelchair-accessible yellow taxis available for select Access-A-Ride (AAR) trips. Today, the program is available to some Access-A-Ride registrants with routine trips in Manhattan using the New York City Transit AAR Yellow Taxi Debit Card program.

Find out if you are eligible by calling the Access-A-Ride Program Subscription Unit's Yellow Taxi Hotline at (718) 393-4420

What are the benefits of participating in the Access-A-Ride Yellow Taxi Debit Card program?

Participants enjoy all the benefits of yellow taxi service for the cost of an Access-A-Ride trip.

• Faster trips: You are the only passenger and travel time may be significantly lower than in shared ride options as there are no other passengers to be picked up or dropped off.
  
  
• Booking options: You can request that an accessible taxi be sent to your location right away or a specific time in the future. You may:
  
  
  • Hail a taxi, or;
    
    
  • Request a taxi through the TLC's Accessible Dispatch program
    

If you book your trip through the TLC Accessible Dispatch program additional benefits include:

• The taxi will arrive 15 minutes after the request for most trips.
  
  
• Flexible booking. You can choose to contact the dispatcher at the time you are ready to travel or you can schedule multiple trips weeks in advance.
  
  
• The taxi driver will wait for 10 minutes after arriving at the pick-up location.
  

How do I find out if I am eligible?

To find out if you can use taxis for your Access-A-Ride trips, please call the Access-A-Ride program Subscription Unit's Yellow Taxi Hotline at (718) 393-4420 to express your interest. The Subscription Unit's Yellow Taxi Hotline can be reached from 8:00AM to 5:00PM, seven days per week.

How much does an Access-A-Ride Yellow Taxi trip cost?

Once deemed eligible to participate in the program, registrants pay the same cost for a yellow taxi trip as an Access-A-Ride trip. The cost per taxi trip is equivalent to the cost of a subway ride, $2.50. Access-A-Ride Yellow Taxi Debit Card registrants pre-pay the AAR fare for a minimum of ten (10) AAR trips, for a minimum pre-payment total of $25.00. The AAR registrants will then receive a prepaid debit card with a balance equal to the value of 10 Yellow Taxi fares and pay for the trip by swiping the debit card in the taxi's credit card reader.

As a participant in the Access-A-Ride Yellow Taxi Debit Card program, how would I get a taxi?

You can hail a taxi or request a taxi to pick you up anywhere in Manhattan. The taxi can take you anywhere in the five boroughs, and parts of Nassau or Westchester County within the AAR service area. There are many ways to get an accessible taxi to pick you up in Manhattan:

• Call 311
  
  
• Call the NYC Accessible Taxi Dispatch Program directly: (646) 599-9999
  
  
• Text the dispatcher: (646) 400-0789
  
  
• Order a taxi online.
  
  
• E-Hail a taxi through the Wheels on Wheels app, available free in the iTunes store and on Google play for Android.
  

How can I find an accessible taxi if I am not an Access-A-Ride passenger?

Non-Access-A-Ride registrants with mobility limitations may also use any of the above methods to book accessible taxis without any pre-screening or eligibility determination. Non-Access-A-Ride registrants pay the regular metered taxi fare for the trip.

What if I need a pickup outside Manhattan?

Individuals who need an accessible taxi outside Manhattan can contact a car service base with accessible vehicles directly. TLC is working to create a five borough accessible dispatch program that will be available to everyone with mobility limitations. Stay tuned!

LARS

Through the NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission's License Applications, Renewals & Summonses (LARS) system you can:

• plead guilty and pay summons(es),
  
  
• make a license renewal payment,
  
  
• apply for a new license,
  
  
• pay applicable fees, or
  
  
• update your personal information online.

© 2015 TLC Magazine Online, Inc.