In July, New York City Mayor Eric Adams joined the Independent Drivers Guild, The Black Car Fund, Taxi & Limousine Commissioner David Do and thousands of the city’s Uber, Lyft, and for-hire vehicle (FHV) drivers and their families to celebrate a landmark victory in delivering benefits and protections to these workers. A nation-leading program to deliver a vast list of benefits to FHV drivers in New York at no cost has exploded in popularity, surpassing 50,000 members in just six years, the mayor announced. “No other state or city in America has such an expansive program for gig economy workers,” he said.
The Drivers Benefits program – a collaboration between New York’s Black Car Fund and the Independent Drivers Guild – provides an accident disability insurance plan, personal accident insurance, critical illness insurance, and a $100,000 accidental death benefit. Those who sign up for the program also have access to dental, vision and telemedicine coverage, a mental health and wellness program, plus deep discounts on prescriptions, urgent care and diagnostic testing.
Enrolling in the program is free and all of the benefits are provided to qualified drivers throughout the state at no cost to them. Eligible NY drivers can enroll at: https://ny.driversbenefits.org/.
More than 57,000 dental procedures have been performed through the program, approximately 9,000 pairs of eyeglasses have been distributed and 12,000 mental health visits have already been arranged for drivers as part of the program’s benefits. The Black Car Fund – which pays for the benefits and separately offers workers’ compensation benefits, $300 to any driver who takes their defensive driving course and paid wellness courses – is funded by a 2.75% surcharge paid for by the passengers of Uber, Lyft and traditional black car companies. The surcharge is not taken out of drivers’ pay, and the benefits are available for any eligible drivers who sign up.
A summary of the benefits can be found at: https://ny.driversbenefits.org/.
Source: Independent Drivers Guild
