NYC taxi commission and drivers’ union reach agreement on ride-share permitting and electric vehicles

The NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission (T&LC) reached an agreement with drivers on April 14 following a lawsuit contending the agency was too freely issuing ride-share permits for EV cabbies.

The T&LC in 2023 opened permitting for electric cabs to comply with the city’s Green Rides Initiative requiring Ubers and Lyfts to be electric or wheelchair accessible by 2030.

Citing potential for gridlock and oversaturation of the taxi market, the Taxi Workers Alliance (TWA) sued the licensing agency’s move to open permitting for EV cabs. According to Crain’s, the Adams administration agreed in a legal settlement in state supreme court to only issue specific amounts of new for-hire vehicle plates at a time going forward, so as not to flood the taxi market.

The agreement states there is “no requirement” to own or purchase a vehicle before being selected for one of a “discrete number” of available for-hire licenses. TLC will determine the length of time an applicant has to submit information related to a specific type of vehicle after the agency selects an applicant for a license.

NYC taxi drivers rallied at a November 2023 rally.Photo by Max Parrott

The judge in the case, however, must still sign off on the agreement to make it official. How many licenses will be issued at a given time is still unclear.

amNewYork contacted the TWA for comment on the agreement and is awaiting a response.

Meanwhile, the taxi commission said prior to the filing of the case in 2023, the agency only received 1,746 applications before a temporary restraining order sparked a rush on license plates. Applications then spiked from 100 to 150 to 2,000 a day.

Jason Kersten, the TLC’s press secretary, said that regardless of the agreement, the agency will still “extensively” review for-hire licenses before issuing them.

“This settlement doesn’t change that, and we’re pleased that the thousands of small business owners who have benefited from the EV licenses and are leading our city towards a cleaner, more sustainable future will get to keep them,” he said. “We always try to work with all industry stakeholders, and we hope the overall settlement provides a framework that will strengthen our relationship.”