Hello to all! Now that we are in these last days of Summer, I am certainly looking forward to the Fall and the cooler weather it will bring. As we enter this last quarter of the year, I think this is a good time to remind you of the incredible dental insurance benefit that we provide through our Drivers Benefits program.
The reason I bring it up is because the $2,000 benefit amount it provides resets each year. That means that if you haven’t used our dental benefit this year, you have about three months left to use up the $2,000 before it resets in January!
Our dental insurance benefit is truly amazing. It covers 100% of all basic, restorative, and major care when you use an in-network dentist. That means no deductible, no co-pay and $0 out-of-pocket, up to $2,000 per year. Don’t let this money disappear! Log into your Drivers Benefits, or enroll if you haven’t already, and access this and more today!
Moving onto some news from August, I’m sure many of you have heard by now that Revel is officially quitting the transportation business to focus fully on their electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure. When they first launched, they were rather unique, operating with an employee driver model. In the years since, they transitioned from an employee model to the independent contractor model. Despite this, reports still indicate that the rideshare aspect of Revel’s business was quickly overshadowed by its EV charging infrastructure. So, it’s not too surprising that Revel has made this decision.
Now the question is: What happens to the TLC license plates that they owned? It’s been reported that Revel is actively looking for buyers for up to 165 TLC plates, with asking prices in the $20,000 – $25,000 range. Media outlet, AutoMarketplace, did an excellent deep dive into TLC plates and the likely and rumored buyers for Revel’s plates, after breaking the story about Revel’s exit. I would encourage you all to read their article!
Some more big news from August involves a settlement that has been a long time in the making. In 2006, a lawsuit was filed that argued that the Taxi & Limousine Commission (TLC) unlawfully suspended drivers’ licenses after arrests without giving them a meaningful chance to appeal. Sometimes, these suspensions occurred regardless of whether the arrest had anything to do with their work. Now, roughly 20,000 current and former NYC taxi and app-hail drivers may soon be eligible for up to $140 million in payouts as part of a class-action settlement.
Under the proposed terms, payouts will depend on how long a driver was suspended. Some could receive up to $36,000, before fees. The settlement covers drivers whose licenses were suspended between 2003 and 2020. In the era when this lawsuit was filed, the TLC’s focus was heavily on passenger safety. The TLC revised its disciplinary process in 2020 after a court ruled its suspension appeals system was unconstitutional. Since then, nearly 85% of drivers who contest suspensions have succeeded, up from virtually zero.
In other news, The Black Car Fund held its third resource fair of the year at our Driver Education Center in Long Island City, in August. These resource fairs continue to get bigger and better. Drivers were able to connect with us and our Drivers Benefits team to learn about the benefits we provide. They were also able to access a number of valuable health services and resources such as glucose, cholesterol and blood pressure screenings, prostate cancer screenings, vision exams, as well as financial and mental health support and information.
I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to all of our partners, which help to make these events so successful and valuable to our Covered Drivers. Thank you to Drivers Benefits, The Independent Drivers Guild, The Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Mount Sinai, and the Hebrew Free Loan Society. The next resource fair at our Driver Education Center will be in November, so stay tuned for details on that.
This month though, we are bringing our resource fair back up to Buffalo on September 15th and 16th, for our Covered Drivers living near this upstate area. Us, Drivers Benefits, and the Independent Drivers Guild will be at the North Tonawanda Football Hall of Fame on these two days to connect with drivers and answer any questions they may have about the work we do. Those in attendance will also have the opportunity to win some great raffle prizes, such as dashcams and gift cards, and the first 20 drivers who attend each day will get an exclusive BCF Swag Bag.
If you’re a driver living near Buffalo, make sure you RSVP to attend! Also, please spread the word to any drivers you know in the Buffalo area! You can RSVP for our upstate resource fair here.
On a final note, we are very close to launching our new BCF mobile app, which may already be available by the time you read this! This app is a major upgrade from our current one, with tons of new and improved features built with our Covered Drivers in mind. You’ll be able to report your accident faster than ever, as well as log in to check your claim status and detailed claim information. You’ll also be able to learn about all the benefits in our Drivers Benefits program, as well as enroll in it. You’ll even be able to use our app to find public restrooms near you!
Keep an eye on our social media as we announce its launch! Until next time…
