Why NYC Lifted Its Cap on Rideshare Cars
The Brian Lehrer Show
WNYC
4.6 • 1.5K Ratings
🗓️ 20 October 2023
⏱️ 24 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
New York City's Taxi and Limousine Commission will no longer limit the number of new licenses for for-hire vehicles on the road, but there's one important caveat: new cars must be electric or wheelchair accessible. Evan Simko-Bednarski, transit reporter at the New York Daily News, unpacks the new rule and its implications as congestion pricing looms.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Dray in there on WNYC. |
| 0:10.1 | So as if there aren't enough cars on the road in New York City, the Taxi and Limousine |
| 0:15.1 | Commission has lifted its cap on new licenses for four higher vehicles, allowing companies |
| 0:21.5 | such as Uber, Lyft, and Startup Revol to deploy thousands more vehicles on City Street so |
| 0:27.6 | long as they're electric or wheelchair accessible, that's the criteria, electric or wheelchair |
| 0:34.4 | accessible, then you can flood the zone with as many more cars as you want. |
| 0:40.1 | The Adams Administration and the Taxi and Limousine Commission have dubbed this new initiative |
| 0:44.5 | Green Rides, they say it's all a part of the plan to boost the number of electric vehicles |
| 0:49.4 | in the city's ride share and for higher vehicle fleet. |
| 0:52.6 | By 2030, all non-wheel-chair accessible vehicles will be required to be electric. |
| 1:00.4 | Now experts have warned that the move could undermine the MTA's forthcoming congestion |
| 1:05.0 | pricing program, there may be other consequences for Uber, Lyft, and Yellow Cab drivers who aren't |
| 1:11.2 | currently in EVs, so I'll get into the new initiative and take a look at its implications |
| 1:16.1 | now with Evan Simco-Bednarski, Transit Reporter at the Daily News. |
| 1:20.6 | Hi Evan, welcome to WNYC. |
| 1:23.3 | Thank you, Frank, good morning. |
| 1:24.8 | And listeners, we have time for a few of your calls. |
| 1:26.8 | I know we always get calls from taxi and ride share drivers. |
| 1:30.9 | We love you drivers. |
| 1:31.9 | We are proud to be one of the places where you get a little bit of a public voice, so you |
| 1:36.5 | are invited to help us report this story from your perspective, 212-433-WNYC-212-433-9692-CALL |
| 1:48.1 | or text. |
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