Hello to all! Between the attempted assassination of former President Trump and President Biden dropping out of the race, this past July has firmly secured its place in the history books. Amid all this turmoil, it can be easy to forget about local happenings, but there are some important updates to discuss. Let’s jump right into it.
On the congestion pricing front, not much has changed since Governor Hochul ordered the MTA to put the program on an indefinite halt. Those who supported the program, however, have been hard at work. I wrote last month that Comptroller Brad Lander had announced he was considering legal action to reverse the Governor’s decision. Since then, he has mobilized a legal team that has entered into a joint defense agreement aimed at reactivating congestion pricing.
Essentially, the Comptroller argues that the Governor’s action was illegal because it contradicts the 2019 law that mandates the MTA implement congestion pricing. This legal team will soon file litigation on these grounds, as well as claims that the pause violates various environmental laws.
At the same time, many legislators have also been calling on Governor Hochul to bring back congestion pricing, just with smaller tolls. While possible, doing so would likely require the 2019 law to be amended so that the program isn’t explicitly required to raise $1 billion per year. At the end of the day, I think it’s likely we’ll have to wait until the results of the November election before any concrete action is taken on congestion pricing. For one, Donald Trump has said that he would terminate congestion pricing his first week in office. Nevertheless, it is an issue we are monitoring very closely.
Last month, I also wrote about changes that the Port Authority was implementing to the passenger pick-up procedures at JFK Airport’s Terminal 4. These changes went into effect at the end of June, but since then, further restrictions have been put in place.
Initially, a section of the terminal curb was going to be reserved for premium label high volume for hire vehicle services, but the decision was made that no chauffeured or for-hire vehicles would be granted access to Terminal 4 to pick up passengers, except for wheelchair accessible vehicle (WAV) requests for passengers with disabilities. Also, these changes are now in effect 24/7 until further notice. Please be aware of these changes, which will likely expire sometime in September.
Another bit of news I want everyone to be aware of is that drivers who block a bus stop are now in danger of being ticketed automatically by cameras mounted on city buses. As you may know, around 600 buses throughout the city already have cameras installed, which were used to ticket vehicles driving in or blocking a bus stop in bus-only lanes. Now, these cameras can also ticket drivers who block ANY bus stop, whether or not it’s in a bus-only lane.
By the end of the year, another 1,000 buses on 32 different routes will be equipped with cameras. The violations will be $50 unless a driver is caught five or more times within a 12-month period, at which point the fine becomes $250.
Moving onto some news from The Black Car Fund, we have begun a pilot program to bring our Enhanced NYS-Certified Defensive Driving Course to locations in upstate New York. In May and June, we held a pair of classes in Buffalo, NY, and are actively working to continue holding these classes in Buffalo, as well as other major cities throughout this enormous state.
If you’re a driver living upstate, please make sure you’re following us on social media so that you can learn about a class that may be coming near you! Visit https://linktr.ee/nybcf to view our Linktr.ee page, where you can find all our social networks, as well as other useful links and information!
July was also a big month for The Black Car Fund and our Driver Benefits Program. Last month, I mentioned that we planned to join the Independent Drivers Guild for a big announcement at their annual Driver Appreciation Day. Well, it was certainly a big day as Mayor Eric Adams joined us to announce that our Drivers Benefits program officially has over 50,000 drivers enrolled in it. That’s over 50,000 drivers who are protected by crucial benefits such as Accident Disability Insurance, Personal Accident Insurance, and Critical Illness Insurance. That’s over 50,000 drivers who have access to health benefits such as vision coverage, telemedicine, and dental insurance, all of which is provided to drivers at no cost to them.
It was an honor to have Mayor Adams join us for this announcement as we stood in front of hundreds of drivers. Thank you to the Independent Drivers Guild for organizing this event, which we are proud to be a sponsor of every year. Also, a big thank you to the Workers Benefit Fund, who manages our Drivers Benefits program and works hard every day to ensure that every eligible driver gets enrolled in the program.
Once again, I urge you to tell your fellow drivers about the Drivers Benefits program and tell them to reach out to us and enroll. Drivers in New York have never been more protected than they are now.
Until next time!