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New York
Mayor Eric Adams became the latest, and most powerful voice, to call for an exemption for yellow taxicabs from congestion pricing. Deputy Mayor Joshi followed up with details on the administration’s position. Last week, the panel appointed by the Governor to make recommendations on exemptions and the cost of the surcharge, the Traffic Mobility Review Board, came out with a reckless recommendation to charge a third tax on taxis, a new $1.25 surcharge on top of the existing $0.50 on all trips and $2.50 on trips that originate, end and pass through 96th Street and below.
Mayor Adams,”We’re really focused on our two yellows: our school buses and yellow taxicabs.” Deputy Mayor Meera Joshi added, “For yellow taxis, we’re asking for a full exemption. This is a fleet that has had a history of serving New York, especially Manhattan, for decades. And this is a fleet that has gone through incredible financial distress. I think we’ve all sadly witnessed some of the tragic results of that in the suicides that resulted from that.”
“The Mayor is taking the right position and we are grateful for the support and motivated by it. A third tax would mean the MTA would take the majority of the fare before the car moves an inch, before the driver gets a dollar for their own living and will lead to drop off in the number of trips per taxi at a time when taxi trips are down 50% since COVID. The economic damage of less trips and less income would mean long-term instability, debt and a cycle of poverty we are just so damn sick of. The MTA needs to follow the lead of the Mayor of the city where the fees will be collected and exempt taxis,” said NYTWA Executive Director Bhairavi Desai.
Founded in 1998, the New York Taxi Workers Alliance (NYTWA) is over 25,000-member strong union of NYC taxicab drivers, representing yellow cab drivers, green car, and black car drivers, including drivers for Uber and Lyft.
