The New York City Taxi & Limousine Commission (TLC) held a public hearing on Wednesday, September 3rd, covering four topics:
Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle (WAV) conversions
Driver minimum pay (Uber / Lyft) out‑of‑town pay rate correction
Personal Injury Protection (PIP), or no-fault, coverage change
Cyclist‑awareness decals
In practice, much of this hearing was a formality.
Item (2) merely corrected a typo in previously adopted driver pay rules, while items (3) and (4) stemmed directly from City Council legislation. For example, the NYC Council voted to lower the city’s unique no-fault (PIP) for-hire vehicle (FHV) coverage requirement from $200,000 to $100,000 (still 2x the $50,000 NY state mandate). If the TLC Board were to reject legislation enacted by the Council, it would be in violation of the law.
‘Way No’: AV Opposition at TLC Hearing
Notably, there were also several off-topic but noteworthy comments related to autonomous vehicles (AVs), Waymo, and the TLC’s electrification goals.
Malik Anwaar and Sonam Lama, both NYC TLC-licensed drivers and Independent Drivers Guild (IDG) members, warned that AVs threaten drivers’ livelihoods, citing reports from other states where riders already cancel Uber/Lyft trips to wait for Waymo, and argued that replacing human drivers would undercut TLC revenues and destabilize the industry.
Lama bluntly stated:
“I strongly oppose those Waymo vehicles, please Commissioner do support us…[where] human beings will be driving.”
Michele Dottin, also an IDG advocate, echoed this sentiment, closing her remarks with:
“Say no to Waymo.”
Below, we summarize the spoken and written public testimony.
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1) Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle (WAV) conversions
What TLC proposed: Standardize approval pathways so converters and manufacturers meet identical specs; Goal: simplify, spur competition, and lower costs.
Where (spoken & written) testimony landed: Broad support for opening the market—if safety/ride quality are protected. Disability advocates pushed for mandatory, easy‑to‑use integrated restraints (e.g., Q’Straint all‑in‑one lap/shoulder belts), low ramp angles, level floors, and noise standards; long‑term, many want purpose‑built factory WAVs like London’s.
Kenny Ost of Advanced Mobility Technologies (AMT), backed the rule and asked TLC to tweak language so client‑supplied vehicles can be converted without dealer licensing becoming a barrier. In simple terms, Ost supported allowing drivers (operators) to buy their own vehicle directly from a dealer (Toyota, Honda, etc.) at the best negotiated price. The operator is then listed as the first owner on the title, which preserves the full factory warranty (vs. the convertor first buying the vehicle and then reselling to the driver).
Notables to cite:
Disabled in Action (DIA) and Brooklyn Center for the Independence of Disabled (BCID): Supported more competition and stronger quality controls (securements, belt geometry, ramp slope).
Advanced Mobility Technologies (AMT): Supports rule; requests revising rules to allow client‑supplied vehicles; notes electric tie‑downs and willingness to adopt better belt solutions.
2) Driver minimum pay (Uber / Lyft) out‑of‑town rate correction
What TLC proposed: Corrected already passed high-volume for-hire services (HVFHS, currently only Uber and Lyft) driver pay rules related to out‑of‑town per‑mile minimum. TLC is fixing a math error/typo in the new driver pay rules. The corrected out-of-town minimum is $1.700/mile for non-WAVs and $2.122/mile for WAVs.
Where (spoken & written) testimony landed: Drivers, mostly from the Independent Drivers Guild (IDG), used the public hearing to press broader pay issues: call for a $9 to $10 minimum fare on short trips, a night‑shift surcharge, and clear, auditable out‑of‑town surcharge pay calculations. Several drivers stated the recent ~5% raise hid a mileage cut while raising per-minute rates — which they believed hurt earnings on longer trips. In written comments, IDG flagged plate scarcity (TLC Plate Cap) as a structural cost driver and urged plate access or higher per‑mile to cover rentals. Commissioners clarified on‑record that the change raises the out‑of‑town rate relative to pre‑August levels despite the downward revision.
Notables to cite:
Driver testimony: Need a trip floor (~$9–$10), transparent out‑of‑town pay calculation and night surcharge; concerns that per‑mile fell while per‑minute rose.
Independent Drivers Guild (IDG): Neutral on the correction, but says per-mile rates still doesn’t cover costs for renters; solution is plate release or higher per-mile rates.
3) Personal Injury Protection (PIP), or No-Fault, coverage change
What TLC proposed: Implement Local Law 90 of 2025 passed by City Council in June 2025—reduce required NYC FHV PIP, or no-fault, coverage from $200k to $100k per person (≤ 200% of $50,000 state PIP minimum insurance coverage).
Where (spoken & written) testimony landed: Disability advocates opposed the cut, warning it shifts risk to injured riders and driver and undermines quick, adequate compensation. Uber supported the reduction as a cost relief that may reduce fraud and attract more insurers; suggested monitoring claims data and driver expenses to inform future changes. MTBOT urged going further to $50k (state minimum), citing fraud incentives at higher limits. IDG supported implementing the law and reiterated its longer‑term goal: eliminating city/state PIP mandates for FHV drivers.
Notables to cite:
DIA/disability advocate‑aligned testimony: Keep (or raise) coverage; explore pooled/self‑insurance instead of cutting benefits.
Uber: Supports $100,000; asks for data review on adequacy/fraud/expenses post‑change.
Metropolitan Taxicab Board of Trade (MTBOT): Lower to $50,000 (state PIP requirement).
IDG: Implement now; pursue broader PIP reform later: “However, we believe this is only a partial victory. We continue to advocate for the complete abolition of the city and state's PIP insurance requirements for FHV drivers.”
4) Cyclist‑awareness decals
What TLC proposed: Require cyclist-awareness decals inside the rear passenger doors of all taxicabs and for-hire vehicles, as mandated by Local Law 78 of 2025. This rule formalizes a practice TLC has already carried out for years—distributing thousands of decals—and now codifies it with compliance requirements and penalties for non-display
Where (spoken & written) testimony landed: General support for the requirement but pushback on penalties. Advocates want accessibility baked in (large font, high contrast, and audio prompts for blind/low‑vision riders). Industry voices asked TLC to emphasize distribution over fines, allow self-certification (photo proof) for first-time non-compliance, or use monitors/screens in taxis/FHVs instead of stickers..
Concerns about EV mandate impact
Disability advocate Jean Ryan noted that no wheelchair accessible electric vehicles (eWAV) exist in the U.S., raising concerns that TLC’s current 2030 EV-focused mandate could leave riders with disabilities behind.
“Lastly, we’re concerned about the looming rules for EVs, since right now there is no wheelchair accessible vehicle in this country that is an electric vehicle.”
September 17th Vote?
Although not confirmed, it appears that the official TLC Board vote is scheduled for Wednesday, September 17, at 10 am.
Also available on YouTube ⬇️
TABLE OF CONTENTS
00:00 – Opening remarks NYC TLC Chair / Commissioner David Do introduces agenda, commissioners, and reminds drivers about EV tax credits & 2030 EV/WAV mandate 4:06 – Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle (WAV) conversion rules Jean Ryan (Disabled in Action (DIA)): safety, ramp slope, integrated Q’Straint seatbelts. Peter Mazur (Metropolitan Taxicab Board of Trade (MTBOT)): supports standardization; calls for TIF parity. Evan Yankee (Brooklyn Center for Independence of the Disabled (BCID)): warns against sacrificing quality; urges factory-built WAVs. Kathleen Collins (DIA): backs competition but wants safeguards. Kenny Ost (AMT): supports rule; requests client-supplied vehicles allowed; details securement systems 22:40 – NYC Uber and Lyft driver minimum pay (out-of-town rate fix) Majed Zegrar (IDG, NYC TLC-licensed driver): minimum fare floor ($9–$10), transparency in out-of-town surcharge. Larbi Aitaabou (IDG, NYC TLC-licensed driver): stronger regulation, fairer driver pay. Malik Anwaar (IDG, NYC TLC-licensed driver): calls for night surcharge, minimum fare floor, and raises Waymo concerns. Kathleen Collins & Jean Ryan (DIA): support fair driver pay. Sonam Lama (IDG, NYC TLC-licensed driver): warns about short trips & commissions; opposes AVs. Dinara Zhanpeissova (IDG, NYC TLC-licensed driver): compares yellow cab vs Uber pay structures. TLC commissioners clarify rate correction (from $1.758 → $1.700/mile). 45:58 – Insurance - No-fault, or Personal Injury Protection (PIP) coverage, change Kathleen Collins (DIA): opposes lowering from $200k → $100k. Peter Mazur (MTBOT): urges going down to $50k to reduce fraud. Jean Ryan (DIA): warns lower coverage = less safety & more risk. 53:12 – Cyclist awareness decals Kathleen Collins (DIA): decals must be ADA-accessible (large font, high contrast, audio). Peter Mazur (MTBOT): suggests using Passenger Information Monitors; supports self-certification over fines. Michele Dottin (IDG): opposes fines; wants grace period and better cyclist regulation. Jean Ryan (DIA): supports decals if they help; stresses accessibility and non-punitive compliance. Advocates raise final concern: no electric wheelchair-accessible vehicles exist in the U.S. yet . 1:06:33 – Closing NYC TLC Chair / Commissioner David Do thanks commissioners, staff, advocates, and drivers; confirms testimony and written comments will be reviewed before final rule votes . 🤖 AV / Waymo Testimony 33:37 Malik Anwaar (IDG) 37:40 Sonam Lama (IDG) 58:12 Michele Dottin (IDG) ⚡ EV Mandate Testimony 01:02:23 Jean Ryan (DIA) “There is no wheelchair accessible vehicle in this country that is an electric vehicle.” Implies concern about future EV/AV mandates leaving out accessibility .
