The New York City Taxi & Limousine Commission (TLC) proposed a rule change at their March hearing that would add points to drivers’ licenses and require them to take a safety course if they park in crosswalks, bike lanes or in other illegal spots – with fines escalating from the third violation onward. Unsurprisingly, the taxi and for-hire vehicle drivers who commented on the proposed rule were not exactly happy to hear this news, but to his credit, Commissioner David Do engaged with them, seemingly took their remarks to heart, and emphasized that his intent is to target “recidivist” offenders.
His concerns seemed reasonable enough. According to an article that ran in media outlet Streetsblog, “TLC complaints for parking and moving violations increased 37% year-over-year in 2024. The vast majority of the nearly 180,000 licensed drivers, or 86%, got no fines for those violations during that time, while 21,100 got one and 4,746 had two or more of the violations.”
Unfortunately, the point that the TLC seems to be missing is the fact that drivers who are not repeat offenders will still be harmed by this new rule. They not only don’t deserve it, many of them can’t afford to pay those fines, and it’s often not their fault. The fact is, the city DOES NOT provide enough dedicated curb space to take breaks for a bite to eat or to use a restroom.
Disability advocates also chimed in at the meeting, concerned that the additional fines will worsen service for them when they need a ride.
“They’re getting tickets, and then that makes the drivers not want to pick us up,” said Jean Ryan, President of Disabled In Action.
“We, the TLC drivers, do not choose where to stop,” explained Anwaar Malik. “The apps send us to a location, and we cannot know if it’s a bike lane or a bus lane until we arrive. What are we supposed to do?”
Drivers are legally allowed pull in “briefly” at bus stops and bus lanes, or in front of hydrants to pick up and drop off riders, TLC officials said at the meeting – but that really doesn’t answer the grave concerns drivers have regarding curb space.
“Nobody would risk a $100 ticket if there was a convenient place to park within a few blocks,” said Andrew Greenblatt, policy director for the Independent Drivers Guild. “If you want to punish anyone, put fines on the Department of Transportation for not providing the appropriate places for people to park.”
Meanwhile, as the city considers increasing fines on TLC-regulated drivers, there has been a dramatic spike in illegal drivers soliciting passengers at area airports, according to the Port Authority of NY/NJ, and it’s common knowledge that groups on WhatsApp are exchanging rides illegally, bypassing bases and taking business away from legitimate drivers.
Kind of makes me wonder if the TLC is going after the low-hanging fruit for what I’m sure is much-needed revenue once again: Legitimate, TLC-licensed drivers.
Last month, we reported on a group of taxi drivers who were calling for Bathroom Break Relief Placards, allowing them to park in spots that would otherwise be off limits for 10 minutes at a time. Sounded like a good idea to me, but it really doesn’t solve the bigger issue: If you’re going to license 180,000 drivers, you need to give them the dignity of a place to stop and relieve themselves, or to grab a quick bite to eat, or even to stop and close their eyes for a few minutes to shake off the stress of driving long hours on NYC streets.
No one is saying that repeat offenders shouldn’t be penalized (sometimes severely), but the city needs to do a priority check. Provide more curb space to suffering drivers and crack down on dangerous criminals who solicit passengers illegally at area airports and use WhatsApp groups to bypass legal channels – which will BENEFIT hardworking drivers who do their best to abide by the city’s laws and rules. THEN, maybe a discussion can be started on increasing fines that target recidivist drivers, but that will almost surely hurt some percentage of legitimate drivers just trying to earn a buck.
