In July, dozens of app-hail and delivery workers organized under the Justice for App Worker coalition and rallied on the steps of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA’s) headquarters, urging Review Board members to block congestion pricing for TLC-licensed drivers, calling it a “double tax.”
A growing coalition representing New York’s immigrant communities joined the app workers in protest of the current plan and its impact on low-income workers. Industry leaders asked for a comprehensive solution that would not put fiscal responsibility on working-class New Yorkers.
“The solution for congestion in our streets [should not be] for individual drivers in New York to shoulder the financial burden, instead of the app companies,” said Naomi Ogutu, President of the NYC Rideshare Club and Co-Chair of the Justice for App Workers coalition. “Drivers have been paying a nearly $3 congestion tax since 2019 on every ride we give into Manhattan south of 96th, which has generated billions of dollars the past four years. We cannot afford to shoulder more of this burden. We are pleased that the architects of this plan are coming to understand this. It’s not too late for the MTA Review Board to step up and do the right thing.”
Source: Justice for App Workers
