Hello to all! Despite only having 28 days, February was a whirlwind of a month. Between the two massive snowstorms, freezing temps, and a blitzkrieg of advocacy on the issue of autonomous vehicles, there was barely a moment’s rest. There’s some important news to discuss, so I’ll jump right into it.
You’ll recall last month I wrote about Governor Hochul’s State of State Address and her proposal to allow for the deployment of commercial for-hire autonomous vehicles (AVs) outside of New York City. As I mentioned, The Black Car Fund has been working closely with other industry and advocacy groups, and immediately after the Governor’s announcement, we issued a press release outlining our concerns and opposition.
Throughout February, this group continued its push to get its concerns and viewpoint across to decision makers and the public at large. We began working with additional organizations who share our concerns with autonomous vehicles and even conducted a poll of New Yorkers through the Siena Research Institute. We learned that nearly 60% of New Yorkers said they would feel unsafe riding in a vehicle with no human driver, especially in emergencies or bad weather. Additionally, 51% of people said the governor’s plan was a threat to driver’s jobs and will eventually lead to driverless taxis on crowded New York City streets. Only 22% believe robotaxis would be a benefit to New York.
Our efforts scored a victory when Governor Hochul announced that she was pulling that proposal from her budget plan. Credit and thanks are deserved as this decision clearly considered the concerns we conveyed from drivers, small businesses and communities across New York. Opening the door to commercial AVs anywhere in the state would have marked a significant policy shift, with serious implications for working drivers and community safety.
With this victory, we now have more time to continue working together with lawmakers and stakeholders on this issue to ensure it receives the thoughtful and comprehensive consideration it deserves. The war is by no means over, but this victory was important in reeling in Waymo and any other AV company from steamrolling their way into New York.
Now we can also begin looking at other AV related issues, such as how licensing structures may potentially work. At the end of the day, when AVs do finally arrive, the regulatory and licensing structure should treat all sectors of the ground transportation equally and not create unfair advantages.
Moving onto some other news, Kathryn Garcia was recently sworn in as the Executive Director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. As you know, illegal hustling at our airports is a major issue that negatively affects law-abiding drivers and passengers alike. Just last month, Gothamist reported that illegal hustling has become increasingly common at JFK Airport after the pandemic.
It was encouraging to see Kathryn Garcia waste no time to pledge a big crack down on this issue. She wants to review laws for changes, boost undercover and uniformed enforcement, as well as implement new technologies. I look forward to seeing what the new Executive Director does to address this longstanding problem.
Moving on to news from The Black Car Fund now, I want to take the time to remind you that we recently revamped our mobile app and you should definitely download it to your phone. The app has been improved in many ways, now allowing you to track your claim’s status, stay connected with alerts and messages, learn about all your Drivers Benefits, and even help you find a public restroom in NYC. It’s even available in 12 languages.
Beyond all the new stuff, its core function is still to make it as easy as possible for you to report an accident to us in order to kick off the workers’ compensation claim process. You may not realize this, but it’s very important to report your accident as soon as you can because it is helpful for everyone. For drivers, it ensures that your injuries can be addressed in a timely manner, that they don’t become worse, and that you can start receiving your workers’ compensation benefits as soon as possible. Take a moment to head over to our Linktr.ee, where you can easily download the app to your phone!
Before we wrap up, I wanted to tease a bit of upcoming news from The Black Car Fund. First, by the time you read this, our first resource fair of the year will have taken place on March 2nd. As I write this, our team is finalizing plans for the day and is ready to welcome what is sure to be a record-breaking crowd. Over 200 drivers RSVPed for the event and I want to thank all of our partners in advance for providing their valuable services to drivers. I will write more about the event in April’s issue and give you a recap. Also, on April 14th and 15th, we will be holding a resource fair for drivers in Upstate New York. We’ll be back at the North Tonawanda Football Hall of Fame and we look forward to meeting with drivers in the area. Keep your eyes peeled for more information when we officially announce the event in March and open the RSVP form.
April will be a big month for news. There are some upcoming changes to our Earn While You Learn opportunities I’m excited to announce, as well as a new pair of benefits coming to our Drivers Benefits program. I’m looking forward to it!
Until next time!
