Hello to all! I hope everyone had a safe and productive end to the summer. ptember is always a bit of a transition month, with families getting back into school routines, traffic patterns shifting again, and drivers adjusting to the pace of the fall season. I for one am not looking forward to the return of school traffic!
As always, there is a lot happening across the industry, and I want to take some time this month to cover a few important updates that affect black car drivers across New York. I’ll start however, with an exciting recap of our most recent resource fair at our Driver Education Center.
First, I want to thank everyone who joined us on August 17th for our latest Steering Towards Success Resource Fair at The Black Car Fund Driver Education Center in Long Island City. This was our most attended Resource Fair yet, with over 80 drivers coming out to connect with us, ask questions, and learn more about the benefits and resources available to them. These events continue to be one of the best opportunities we have to speak directly with drivers and help connect them with The Black Car Fund, Drivers Benefits, and our community partners.
We were also grateful to be joined by TLC Commissioner Midori Valdivia, who attended the fair, greeted drivers, and spoke with staff and partners throughout the morning. The drivers in attendance were very excited to be paid a visit by their Commissioner. We extend a sincere thank you to Commissioner Valdivia, and to all the partners that made this event successful, including Drivers Benefits, the NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission, The Hebrew Free Loan Society, Mount Sinai, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and the IDG Mental Health & Wellness program.
The no-cost health screenings have become a very important part of our fairs and we thank Mount Sinai for providing prostate cancer screenings, Memorial Sloan Kettering for providing general health screenings such as blood pressure, cholesterol, and glucose checks, along with colorectal cancer take-home kits, and the IDG Mental Health & Wellness program for connecting drivers with mental health resources and support.
While everyone who attends one of our resource fairs is a winner in our eyes, some drivers also went home with great prizes through our raffles and giveaways. Thank you once again to all of our partners who helped make the day possible, and thank you to every driver who took the time to join us.
Speaking of Resource Fairs, I also want to invite drivers in Western New York to join us this month for our upcoming Resource Fair in North Tonawanda. This will be our second Buffalo-area Resource Fair of 2026, and it will take place over two days: Tuesday, September 15th from 2 PM to 6 PM, and Wednesday, September 16th from 10 AM to 2 PM. Both days will be held at the North Tonawanda Football Hall of Fame, located at 240A Goundry Street, Rear Building, in North Tonawanda. Both days will offer essentially the same experience, with one exception: on Tuesday, September 15th, the University at Buffalo Health on Wheels Team will also be joining us to answer health-related questions and provide complimentary blood pressure checks.
If you drive in the Buffalo area, or know another eligible driver who does, please help spread the word. Drivers will be able to connect with The Black Car Fund and our Drivers Benefits Program, ask questions, learn more about available benefits and resources, and enter free raffles for great prizes like dash cameras and gift cards. The first 20 drivers who attend each day will also receive an exclusive BCF Swag Bag. Space is limited, so please RSVP in advance to secure your spot. If you have any questions about the fair, you can also reach out to us at COM@NYBCF.org.
Moving onto policy news, I want to provide an update on The Black Car Fund’s support for the New York State DMV’s proposed rulemaking regarding illegal solicitation at airports, which I touched upon in last month’s column. As many of you know, illegal airport hustling has been a serious problem at JFK, LaGuardia, and other airports for many years. It puts passengers at risk, damages the reputation of the entire industry, and creates unfair competition for professional drivers and bases that follow the law. The DMV proposal would add five points to the license of a driver convicted of unlawful solicitation of ground transportation services at an airport. I submitted comments on behalf of The Black Car Fund supporting this meaningful enforcement against illegal airport hustling, especially repeat offenders who treat fines as simply a cost of doing business.
At the same time, however, we believe the final rule must be applied carefully and fairly. In our comments, we raised concerns about language in the proposal that could potentially punish a driver for incorrectly standing, waiting, staging, or dispatching in an airport area, regardless of whether the driver actually engaged in illegal solicitation or other unauthorized activity.
As a driver, you know how complicated airport environments can be, and enforcement should not target law-abiding drivers who make a simple mistake of waiting in the wrong lane or area. The goal should be to target bad actors who are unlawfully soliciting passengers and undermining the regulated industry, while making sure legitimate drivers who are following the rules are not unfairly swept in. In the comments we submitted, we made sure to make that concern clear.
Another issue I want to discuss is the ongoing concern around the Empower app. Recently, New York City Council Transportation Committee Chair Shaun Abreu called on Apple to remove Empower from the App Store in New York City because it is operating in the five boroughs without proper TLC licensure. TLC licensing is one of the ways the city makes sure that for-hire transportation providers meet basic requirements related to passenger safety, insurance, driver standards, fees, and accountability. When an app operates outside that system, it creates risk for passengers, undermines legitimate drivers and bases, and weakens the rules that everyone else is expected to follow.
From The Black Car Fund’s point of view, my biggest concern is that Empower is not a Member Base of The Black Car Fund, and when a driver is involved in an accident while on the job for Empower, they will not be covered by The Black Car Fund for workers’ compensation, and it may affect their eligibility for our Drivers Benefits program as well. Many fellow drivers have already had their claims denied. To be clear, The Black Car Fund will not cover any driver while driving for Empower, under any circumstances.
I will continue to watch this issue closely, because it has real implications for driver protections and I encourage all drivers to strongly consider the consequences before deciding to work for Empower.
Finally, I want to touch on another important issue that directly affects drivers’ daily working conditions. The Black Car Fund submitted comments in support of New York City DOT’s proposed rule implementing Local Law 24 of 2026, which would allow TLC-plated for-hire vehicles to park in commercial metered parking spaces through a pilot program. This may sound like a technical parking issue, but for drivers, it is much more than that. Your vehicle is your workplace and unlike someone working in an office, drivers do not have consistent access to a bathroom, break room, or a place to step away for a few minutes during a long shift.
That is why this proposal matters. Expanding lawful access to commercial metered parking spaces would give drivers more legal options when they need to take a break, use a bathroom, eat a meal, hydrate, or address a basic personal need. That is a reasonable and practical improvement that supports driver health, safety, and dignity while also helping reduce the difficult choices drivers face when there is nowhere legal to pull over.
As I wrap up, I want to remind everyone to continue staying connected with The Black Car Fund and Drivers Benefits. Make sure you have The Black Car Fund app and the Drivers Benefits app downloaded, keep an eye out for upcoming event announcements, and please continue to report any work-related accident to us as soon as possible. The sooner you report an accident, the sooner we can help connect you with the workers’ compensation care and benefits you may be entitled to. One of the simplest ways to stay connected is to keep an eye on our Linktr.ee page where we share our most up-to-date news.
Until next time!
Ira J. Goldstein is the Executive Director of theNew York Black Car Fund and Advisor to the Black Car Assistance Corp. (BCAC).
