Pictured: Scott Stringer (upper left); Matthew Daus (upper right); Ira Goldstein, executive director of the Black Car Assistance Corp (lower left); Diana Clemente, President of the BCAC (lower right); and Neil Weiss, editor of Black Car News (lower right corner).
Scott Stringer, a New York City mayoral candidate and current New York City Comptroller, participated in a Zoom call with leaders from the city’s transportation industry on January 27. Mr. Stringer answered a series of questions regarding a variety of topics – including the ever-changing role traditional bases will play in the coming years and plans for a citywide electric vehicle charging station infrastructure. Mr. Stringer also said he supports prioritizing vaccines for Taxi and For-Hire Vehicle (FHV) drivers.
In response to an Op-Ed written by Matthew Daus that appeared in the New York Daily News in January, Stringer said: “Our taxi, ride-hail, and paratransit drivers have been on the frontlines during this pandemic and now they need to be at the front of the line for the vaccine. Over the last ten months, these drivers kept our city moving. They helped get doctors and nurses to hospitals, they delivered meals to the home-bound, and they put themselves in grave danger. It would be an absolute injustice to these essential workers if they were not prioritized for the vaccine.”
Mr. Daus, who is Partner and Chairman of the Windels Marx Transportation Practice Group (http://windelsmarx.com), arranged and hosted the Zoom call.
Stringer has regularly addressed transportation industry issues as an elected official. He has said he supports congestion pricing for the Manhattan central business district, investing in infrastructure, and a proposal to have New York City provide guarantees for medallion loans if the lenders make concessions and modifications to the borrowers. His transportation platform can be viewed at his campaign website: https://stringerformayor.com/.
In Mr. Daus’s guest editorial, “Race to Vaccinate Drivers: Cabbies and Uber Drivers Deserve Better than What They’re Getting,” he was critical of New York State’s vaccination priority, which excluded Taxi and FHV drivers in phase 1B of the state’s plan. He argued that they should be in the same vaccination priority category as public transit workers and other transportation workers who continue to provide essential services.
Source: Windels Marx
