Happy holidays to all TLC drivers and your families! Thank you for helping millions of people get around the Big Apple safely this festive season.
As this time of year approaches, I understand the importance of having extra dollars in your pockets, and I want rideshare drivers to know that I will always have your back when it comes to protecting our first-in-nation driver pay standards. That’s why I previously addressed the importance of the City’s driver pay rules and how lockouts by Uber and Lyft were are unnecessary and harmful.
Just to be clear: TLC has never forced the companies to restrict access to their apps – that is and will remain their choice.
Thanks to the agreement secured by the City, Uber ended lockouts in September, providing drivers with some immediate relief. Since then, we have been working day and night on a rules package designed to end future lockouts and strengthen minimum pay protections, with input from advocates and elected officials.
While we haven’t yet introduced the rule amendments, Uber is already threatening to deactivate hardworking drivers if we do not lower driver pay moving forward. This is a full-on campaign, complete with cherry-picked data and advertising buys, coming from the same company that recklessly onboarded thousands of drivers, only to lock them out in an effort to avoid paying them more. Now they are using fear to persuade passengers, drivers, and elected officials to not only avoid paying you more, but to pay you less! As many of you know, each year we study driver expenses and make our decisions based on an independent assessment. We will see what that study finds.
In other news, I’m happy to announce that we recently welcomed our next class of police cadets – and over half of them are former TLC drivers. New York continues to be the safest big city in the country and keeping our city safe means protecting our rideshare drivers and passengers from the dangers of illegal rides.
There’s no better way to do that than to have former TLC licensees – who have an inside knowledge of the industry – join our ranks to be able to keep passengers safe and keep money in the pockets of hardworking, rule-following TLC drivers.
And we aren’t done hiring. If a career in enforcement or safety interests you, apply to be an Enforcement Officer here or to join our dedicated Safety and Emissions team here. The mission to keep the City moving never stops – and can start with you.
Finally, for those wondering how driving has been going for me, we have a new online video series that documents some of my experiences behind the wheel as a TLC driver! It’s called “Commissioner Cab,” and while my driving adventures are the frame, it’s really a way to educate New Yorkers about the industry. You can watch a new episode every month at youtube.com/@NYCTaxiChannel and if you leave some suggestions for great places to get a meal while I’m on the road, I’d appreciate it!
See you out there,
David Do
Commissioner, NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission
