FHV and Taxi Parking at Commercial Meters and Commercial Vehicle Markings

Online comments: 5

• Ira Goldstein

  My name is Ira Goldstein, and I am the Executive Director of The Black Car Fund. For those who may be unfamiliar, The Black Car Fund was created by New York State statute in 1999 to provide workers’ compensation coverage to independent contractor black car drivers throughout New York who drive for The Fund’s Member Bases. Today, The Fund has more than 550 Member Bases and provides workers’ compensation coverage to well over 100,000 drivers across the state.

  In addition to workers’ compensation coverage, The Fund provides eligible drivers with a wide range of health, wellness, and income protection-related benefits at no cost to them. These include dental and vision coverage, hearing care, virtual primary care, Life Line screening, mental wellness counseling, Accident Disability Insurance, Personal Accident Insurance, Critical Illness Insurance, Hospital Indemnity Insurance, and a $100,000 Accidental Death benefit. Through our Earn While You Learn® program, eligible drivers can also earn up to $900 every three years by completing courses we offer at our Driver Education Center. These benefits and opportunities are funded entirely through a passenger-paid surcharge and provided to drivers at no-cost to them.

  The Black Car Fund strongly supports the proposed amendment to Section 4-08(l)(3) of DOT’s Traffic Rules that would allow for-hire vehicles to park in commercial parking meter areas. This change, which implements Local Law 24 of 2026, would give for-hire vehicle drivers access to approximately 13,000 commercial metered parking spaces throughout New York City and would represent a meaningful and practical improvement to the daily working conditions of for-hire vehicle drivers.

  For these drivers, their vehicle is their workplace. Unlike workers in a traditional workplace, they do not have consistent access to a bathroom, break room, or other location where they can step away for a few minutes. Drivers may spend many hours traveling throughout the city, often far from their homes or operating bases, with very limited options for legally parking when they need to use a bathroom, eat a meal, rest, or address another basic personal need.

  The current number of relief spaces available to for-hire vehicle drivers does not come close to meeting the needs of this large and critical workforce. As DOT states in its notice, only 137 parking spaces within Central Business District taxi relief stands are currently available for use by both taxis and for-hire vehicles. Expanding lawful access to approximately 13,000 commercial metered spaces would make relief options available on a much broader scale and in more of the locations where for-hire vehicle drivers actually work.

  The lack of lawful parking options places drivers in an unfair and often difficult position. A driver who needs to use a bathroom may have to continue searching for parking, delay attending to a basic health need, or risk receiving a costly ticket. Even when a driver finds a business with a publicly available bathroom, the inability to park nearby can make that bathroom effectively inaccessible. Drivers should not have to choose between protecting their health and avoiding a parking violation.
  The proposed rule would not guarantee that a space is always available, nor would it exempt drivers from paying the meter or following posted time restrictions. It would simply allow for-hire vehicle drivers to use existing metered commercial spaces lawfully when those spaces are available. This is a reasonable way to balance for-hire vehicle drivers’ needs with the many competing demands for curb space throughout the city.

  We also support this proposal as we feel that it connects directly with The Black Car Fund’s work to support drivers’ health and well-being. The Fund provides health benefits, mental wellness services, preventive care, income protection, and wellness education, but access to these programs is only one part of supporting a healthy workforce. Drivers’ everyday working conditions also matter. The ability to take a reasonable break, use a bathroom when necessary, eat, hydrate, or briefly step away from the road is a basic matter of health and dignity.

  Providing more lawful places to stop can also help drivers make safer and less rushed decisions. When drivers know they have legitimate parking options, they are better able to take a break when needed without double-parking, obstructing traffic, or quickly searching for a space while trying to avoid enforcement. This benefits drivers while also contributing to safer and more orderly streets.

  For these reasons, The Black Car Fund strongly supports the proposed amendment allowing for-hire vehicles to park in commercial parking meter areas. We thank DOT for implementing this important measure and for considering the everyday needs of New York City’s for-hire vehicle drivers.
  Thank you for the opportunity to submit this testimony.

  Comment attachment
  BCF-Support-Memo-re-DOT-Public-Hearing-9.1.2026.docx

  Comment added July 30, 2026 7:08pm

• Anonymous

  This is a terrible idea and a perfect example of the outright regulatory capture by Uber and Lyft. TLC has already allowed flooded the street with 100k FHV that have created congestion everywhere, while MTA exempted them from the $9 toll and the DOT blames private drivers for the traffic.

  Encouraging Uber and Lyft to take over more of our streets is an outright betrayal of New Yorkers. Commercial vehicles need places to make deliveries. There are already FHV layover stands.

  Comment added August 3, 2026 7:05pm

• S

  Bad idea. Parking is already bad enough already without commercial vehicles ( Taxis ) taking up more parking spaces especially in residential zones. They should have their own lots to park.

  Comment added August 5, 2026 11:36am

• Frank Dardani

  If for higher vehicles want to park in commercial, meters that indicates they are commercial operators and should not be allowed parking on the city streets after 9 PM

  Comment attachment
  Screenshot-2025-11-10-at-1.36.24-PM.pdf

  Comment added August 12, 2026 11:18am

• Manhattan Community Board 1

  Manhattan Community Board 1 opposes:

  Because the comment period closes on September 1st and the Community Board is on recess in August, attached is a previously passed resolution on the topic, opposition to Int. 1000-2024, that aligns with the spirit of this rule change. MCB1 instead advocates for more dedicated relief stands for FHVs and taxis with publicly available bathrooms.

  See attached.

  Comment attachment
  MCB1-Opposition-to-Int-1000-2024.pdf

  Comment added August 14, 2026 11:34am