New York City Councilman Ruben Diaz, Sr. introduced legislation on April 25 that seeks to create new restrictions and fees for For-hire Vehicle (FHV) services designated as “app-based.”
Diaz, who chairs the Council’s For-hire Vehicle Committee, wants to establish a new category for “app-based for-hire services” at the city’s Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC). Drivers that work for an app-based service would have to pay an annual fee of $2,000. The bases dispatching the trips would have to pay $20,000/year for a license and would be forced to demonstrate “a need for their service in neighborhoods where they plan to operate.” The bill would also prevent drivers from accepting work from more than one base.
In 2015, Mayor de Blasio attempted to cap the number of “e-hail” cars on the street, prompting a massive ad blitz by Uber. He ultimately backed down and pulled the bill.
The Independent Drivers Guild, which represents tens of thousands of app-based drivers, said the Diaz proposal would make conditions worse for drivers already struggling, calling the fees and restrictions “unfair.”
Source: New York Daily News
