FHV and Taxi Parking at Commercial Meters and Commercial Vehicle Markings

Online comments: 19

• 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

• Anonymous

  I oppose this rule change. Commercial zones are already routinely filled with illegally parked private vehicles, forcing commercial vehicles and trucks to double park despite an area having been set aside for this purpose. Permitting FHV to use commercial spaces will only exacerbate this problem and increase double parking. Instead of sacrificing much-needed commercial space, especially for FHV, which have greatly increased congestion in our city and undermined efforts to improve public transit, the city should consider creating new taxi relief stands and specific areas for driver relief to complement those that already exist. Since the cat’s already out of the bag as regards FHV flooding our streets, removing further private vehicle parking for new taxi stands will at the very least hopefully continue to reduce private vehicle use and have a positive impact on congestion. Alongside such a change, increased enforcement of taxi stands and commercial zones by the NYPD is clearly sorely needed. But simply handing over commercial space to FHV with no other changes will just worsen traffic congestion and make life harder for the commercial drivers who expect to be able to use these spots and are forced to find alternatives instead.

  Comment added August 21, 2026 7:55am

• Anonymous

  This will be a disaster for actually keeping Manhattan functioning. The transition to commercial zone and loading zones in central Manhattan has been one of the greatest quality of life improvements. Not only does traffic flow better, but the city functions much better. Repairs, deliveries, house calls, cleanings, loading, moving, all these things we rely on to make life function day-to-day require these spaces for commercial services. Almost everywhere else in the US and even NYC there’s enough space that a bit of illegal and double parking won’t devastate the flow of traffic. But in Manhattan, life will grind to a halt when these spaces inevitably fill up. Getting something fixed or delivered will become much more expensive, these folks will go back to how it was way back, unable to park and losing lots of time. And traffic will get noticeably worse, with the increase in double and illegal parking. This is a huge step backwards for the city.

  There are far too many empty cabs and rideshare vehicles in Manhattan already, they cruise around at a lot speeds and park illegally waiting for fares, and Lyft and uber lock them out for hours waiting for demand. Already these drivers don’t do the right thing, which is to leave Manhattan or go far away—they already clog roads and parking and do enough damage to the flow of the city as it is. This will make it far worse.

  At the very least, if there really is a compelling reason to do this pilot, it should be reviewed monthly and subject to termination.

  Add more relief areas on the periphery of the Manhattan where they belong. Do not encourage more idle ride shares to clog the streets hours in advance of demand periods—this is already a problem and you are going to make it worse.

  Comment added August 21, 2026 9:22pm

• Anonymous

  This is a terrible idea for the health of the city. Please reconsider. We need to lessen car parking, not more.

  Comment added August 21, 2026 9:49pm

• PD

  I do not think using that space for private transportation in the most dense public transportation available is wise. This is not an industry we need to treat so preferentially, they provide a luxury service. We are not short on Ubers. Please do not allow this

  Comment added August 21, 2026 11:15pm

• Anonymous

  I oppose the approach of expanding taxi and FHV access to commercial parking meter spaces, not because I think drivers don’t need relief options — they clearly do — but because I don’t think commercial space should be the source.

  Manhattan Community Board 1’s comment on this docket already makes the case for dedicated relief stands rather than shared commercial meter access, and I agree with that direction. But I’d go further: if the city needs to create new dedicated space for taxi and FHV driver relief (bathroom breaks, meals, rest), that space should come from converting existing free residential curbside parking, not from commercial meter zones that delivery vehicles and other commercial traffic already depend on.

  I don’t believe private car owners have a right to free, permanent storage of their vehicles on public streets in Manhattan. That space is a scarce public resource, and drivers who are working — not simply storing a personal vehicle — have a stronger claim to it. Converting some of that free residential parking into relief stands would meet the documented need (DOT’s own notice cites only 137 relief spaces citywide) without pulling space away from commercial deliveries.

  I’d prefer that any new relief stands remain metered/paid rather than free, consistent with treating all curb space as a priced public resource rather than a giveaway. But even if the city makes them free for working drivers, that’s a more defensible use of the space than continuing to reserve it for private car storage. Either way, I’d ask DOT to look at residential parking conversion as the source of new relief capacity rather than commercial meter zones.

  Comment added August 22, 2026 2:22am

• D

  This is a terrible idea. Ubers already overrun our streets, and riders are incentivized ro use Uber because they don’t have to pay a full congestion fee. No there will be fewer parking spots for people living in the city and more cars on the road. Do we really want a world where all the cars on the street or shuttling around people with enough disposable income to get a private ride? We have excellent public transportation already available. We should be pushing people toward this option and leaving the roads for workers who have too many things to carry, deliveries, and residents.

  Comment added August 22, 2026 7:28am

• Anonymous

  We often need to drive our disabled (nonambulatory) child into Manhattan from Brooklyn for doctor and therapy appointments and classes. Other modes of transportation (AAR, subway, car service) are often inaccessible, inconvenient or simply unaffordable between boroughs. We appreciate having the option to park in these spaces when needed using our city-issued disability parking permit, and worry that this will become yet another thing making this city less accessible to the disabled community if the spaces are constantly taken up by FHVs (not to mention the crowding of curbs that would result from the displacement of large delivery trucks).

  While we appreciate that these drivers need spaces to park for breaks, the change is not worthwhile if it comes at the expense of others who have more critical access needs. Please reconsider this or at least consider creating valid disability-only spaces in the city (as you have done for Zipcars). Thank you.

  Comment added August 22, 2026 8:12am

• Anonymous

  Even if I think there should be fewer of them on the streets altogether, I agree that for-hire drivers should absolutely have a safe way to take care of their bodily needs.

  That said, the utterly inevitable outcome of this will be a massive increase over the already unacceptable level of double-parked trucks that can’t find a spot to unload from. With yet more streets completely clogged because necessary traffic like buses and emergency vehicles can’t get through due to double parking. (Not to mention endangering cyclists who have to swerve into traffic to avoid trucks double-parked in bike lanes.)

  The only way to make this work without making the streets worse than they already are would be to accompany it with both:

  * An enormous increase in the number of commercial spots and loading zones — by a factor of 2-5 — because they’re already entirely insufficient, as evidenced by the quantity of double-parked trucks on the typical commercial street at nearly any time of day but especially during the morning commute.
  * An increase in enforcement of parking rules so that those commercial spots and loading zones are no longer simply used for private parking. Probably multiple orders of magnitude of increase, because there’s proportionally as good as zero enforcement now. Which in turn probably means handing enforcement back over to the DOT because it’s the lowest possible priority for the NYPD.

  Then maybe delivery trucks will have a place to park and their having to compete for spots with for-hire vehicles won’t result in even more gridlock than we already have.

  Comment added August 22, 2026 9:27am

• Charlie Kannel

  Do not let rideshare vehicles idle in commercial spaces!! There are already way too many vehicles in manhattan, and this will lead to more vehicles idling in the city. London has shown that reducing vehicles in the city center literally helps children grow larger and healthier lungs. This is a step in the opposite direction and would harm public health.

  Comment added August 22, 2026 10:55am

• MICHAEL W SHERMAN

  Where is the part of the pilot that analyzes the impact of requiring private sector solutions to this problem? The current pilot raises costs for everyone in Manhattan to subsidize users of rideshares and taxis, without exploring alternatives.

  While street parking in Manhattan is more in demand than ever, private parking in Manhattan is past peak demand. It is now cheaper to park privately in parts of the congestion zone than in parts of Brooklyn and Queens.

  There is absolutely space for a commercial model for private garages to provide services per-hour to rideshare drivers and yellow cabs, including restrooms. Not exploring this alternative as part of a longer pilot/research process (including understanding why this is not being offered to rideshare drivers already) vs. this giveaway to taxis, rideshares, and their users makes this pilot insufficient.

  By giving commercial spaces to rideshare drivers, you are passing a cost that should ultimately fall on users of rideshare drivers and taxis to everyone in Manhattan. You are effectively subsidizing taxis and rideshares via higher food and service prices due to longer and more complex deliveries and parking for people who have no choice to park in a specific area vs. rideshare drivers who should be off the roads entirely when not working.

  This pilot is incomplete without an analysis of what it would cost to require rideshare providers and taxi owners to contract with private parking for per-hour services on an annual basis. Realistically, it would be a very small increase to prices, which should be borne by rideshare users and not everyone in Manhattan—we will all pay when deliveries and basic services get more expensive, not to mention we will all pay in the lost time of traffic increases and even more horn noise.

  Comment added August 22, 2026 1:22pm

• Bin

  WE SHOULD NOT DO THIS. Trucks and vehicles which are critical to the economy already do not have enough of these spaces, there is no reason to take even more away from them. Of we want this then we should make special taxi spots which commercial vehicles can park in as well.

  Comment added August 22, 2026 10:00pm

• William Lopez

  Less cars in manhattan!! More is bad for our city. This city is the greatest in the world because it is walkable, not because it is drivable, promote pedestrian friendly policy.

  Comment added August 22, 2026 10:40pm

• Anonymous

  Awful idea. Rideshare and taxi vehicles are subpar in obeying simple traffic laws.

  Comment added August 23, 2026 2:10am

• Michael Karelis

  This is absurd! We don’t need more incentives for cars we need better public transit and safer streets for bicycles!!!!

  Comment added August 23, 2026 4:46am