Hello to all! I hope everyone has been enjoying the Spring weather as nature blooms back to life throughout the city. As we move closer to Summer, there is a lot of news to report and issues to be aware of, so I will jump right into it.
As you may have heard by now, changes to passenger pick-ups at JFK Airport are coming back. In mid-April, the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey (PANYNJ) formally announced some details of its 2025 Summer Traffic Mitigation Plan for JFK. The plan is designed to help reduce the traffic congestion that’s expected when record summer passenger levels are combined with ongoing construction projects in the central terminal area.
You may recall that last year, the PANYNJ implemented changes to the passenger pick-up procedures at Terminal 4. Not only are those changes coming back, this year’s plan will also include the relocation of all pick-ups by for-hire vehicles (FHVs) for Terminals 5 and 7 as well.
Starting Tuesday, May 13th, from 12PM to 2AM each day, pick-ups at Terminal 4 will move back to Lot 66, the same location that was used last year for this terminal. Outside of these times, pick-ups will remain at the terminal frontage. Meanwhile, starting Tuesday, May 6th, all FHV customer pick-ups—regardless of time—will be relocated to the Howard Beach Ride App and Car Services Pick-Up lot, next to the AirTrain station. The PANYNJ has stated that this new lot will be added to GPS mapping services like Google Maps, once the lot is open.
Like last year, these changes only affect pick-ups, not drop-offs. Also, as was the case last year initially, these changes will only affect FHVs, not yellow cabs or private vehicles. These changes are frankly as bad as we could have imagined. Once again, the government is picking the winners and losers by banishing FHVs while yellows and private vehicles get preferential treatment. This is despite the fact that FHVs pay significantly more in airport access fees. Also, for Terminals 5 and 7, the trip for passengers to actually get to their ride is estimated to be over 30 additional minutes! Some percentage of passengers will find other options.
What makes matters worse is that everyone who plays by the rules is slapped in the face by the rampant illegal hustling at the terminals which endangers passengers, and hurts law-abiding drivers. In fact, the illegal hustling at LaGuardia this afternoon when I got home from the driver resource fair mentioned below was the worst ever that I can recall! For what it’s worth, the PANYNJ made a stronger verbal commitment this year to ramping up enforcement and communication. With regard to communication, they stated that they will be running ads, placing stories in the news, and improving signage throughout the airport about the changes. The PANYNJ also stated that, based on their projections for the upcoming travel season, they are confident that the end date for these changes will be Labor Day. It remains to be seen whether PANYNJ will hold to its promises though. Last year, we also heard that Labor Day was the end, but the changes ended up being in effect until January.
On another note, an important issue that I have been working on is related to the insurance crisis that is facing the industry. This crisis is a complex issue with several different parts that have contributed to it but there is no doubt that the increase in lawsuits targeting FHV drivers, particularly those funded by private litigation funders, has played a major role. In April, The Black Car Fund joined Uber, Lyft, Revel, and other ground transportation industry associations to write a letter to Governor Hochul, insisting that she regulate third-party funded litigation in the upcoming State budget.
As we wrote in the letter, “The struggles of American Transit Insurance Company—long the insurer of last resort for thousands of drivers—highlights the fragility of a system plagued by rising claims costs, many of which are being artificially inflated by third-party litigation funders,”. We believe the State budget should include language that would require disclosures about litigation funding agreements, cap interest rates and fees, and allow courts to evaluate the legal arrangements. By doing so, it would not only increase transparency and oversight of litigation funding, but also possibly help stabilize the insurance market, which would ultimately reduce costs for drivers.
We are also working to advocate for drivers through our membership in various associations, such as The Transportation Alliance (TTA). We have worked with them to support Non-Emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT) funding, a service that many drivers in New York provide, as the Federal Government weighs slashing its funding. We joined them in writing a letter to Senators Schumer and Gillibrand, urging them to protect this critical service.
We also worked with the TTA on the issue of taxes on tips. You may have heard that there is currently legislation being considered that would eliminate income taxes on qualifying tips through a deduction allowed to individual taxpayers. However, it currently does not include independent contractors, which we felt was wrong. After we brought this issue up to the TTA, they penned a letter to Senator Ted Cruz and Congressman Buchanon, advocating for the inclusion of independent contractors in their legislation which would allow them the tax exemption on tips as well. We will keep you updated as all these issues progress.
As we wrap up, I want to remind you that in mid-April, several new regulations went into effect with regard to license plates. I wrote about this in previous issues, but to refresh your memory, these regulations are aimed at ensuring license plates are fully visible and unobstructed
Under the new rules, any obstruction of license plates—including dirt, rust, or plastic coverings—will result in a $50 fine. The regulations also ban distorted or fake plates and clarify that plates must be visible to both the human eye and cameras. This initiative seeks to prevent drivers from evading tolls and automated enforcement systems, thereby promoting fairness and safety on the roads. I would encourage everyone to read the press release from the DOT to get all the details!
Finally, I would like to discuss some positive news from The Black Car Fund. In April, we held our very first resource fair for upstate drivers at the North Tonawanda Football Hall of Fame, near Buffalo. Our partners at Drivers Benefits joined us as we met with Covered Drivers from the area to discuss what we do and all the benefits we provide.
The event was a great success, with many drivers stopping by to speak with us and learn about their protections and benefits. Everyone who came went home with a BCF door prize, and many others went home with some great raffle wins like Rove dashcams, Halo Bolt units, and hundreds of dollars in gift cards to Autozone, PepBoys and Speedway! I want to thank all the drivers who stopped by as we work to spread awareness throughout all of New York. We have already started planning our next upstate resource fair, which will take place on September 15th and 16th! Keep your eyes peeled for more information on this event when we formally announce it.
This month, we also have our next resource fair at our Driver Education Center in Long Island City, on Monday May 12th, from 10am-3pm. As I mentioned last month, we are trying to make the RSVP process more fun and engaging. So the first 100 drivers who RSVP for this resource fair will be entered in a special raffle to win a Rove dashcam. Also, any driver who refers five other drivers to RSVP will be entered in another special raffle for a Rove dashcam. You can RSVP for this fair by clicking here.
Don’t forget, if you refer others, be sure they include your TLC or DMV number so that you get the credit! If you have any questions about our resource fairs, please do not hesitate to contact our Communications, Outreach, and Marketing team at COM@nybcf.org.
Until next time!
