Key Takeaways
- • The Taxi Workers Alliance, Uber, and hedge fund MarbleGate, which owns more than 2,000 taxi medallions, jointly sent a letter to Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Gov. Kathy Hochul asking for a public health fund for drivers.
- • The coalition asks the state to redirect a 50-cent surcharge on all yellow cab rides, currently sent to the MTA since 2009 and generating around $24 million a year, into the proposed driver health fund.
- • The request follows four yellow taxi driver deaths on the job over the summer, with Gothamist reporting several drivers were facing health issues and forced to choose between long hours and treatment.
- • The proposal requires approval from state lawmakers, and the letter also asks for expanded funds for app-based car and livery drivers.
- • Representatives for the governor and mayor's office did not respond to requests for comment.
Summary
The union representing New York City's taxi drivers has teamed with Uber and MarbleGate, a hedge fund that owns thousands of taxi medallions, to urge state and city leaders to create a public health fund for drivers. The request was made in a letter sent Friday to Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Gov. Kathy Hochul, according to the original report.
The letter follows the deaths of four yellow taxi drivers on the job over the summer. Gothamist reported that several of the drivers had been dealing with health issues and were forced to choose between working long hours to pay their bills and seeking treatment. The letter described the situation as a "crisis that is threatening the health and safety of New York City's professional drivers."
The coalition's central proposal is to redirect a 50-cent surcharge on all yellow cab rides into a driver health fund. That surcharge has been directed to the MTA since 2009 and generates around $24 million a year. Implementing the change would require approval from state lawmakers. The letter also asks lawmakers to expand existing funds serving app-based car and livery drivers.
The alliance is unusual. The Taxi Workers Alliance has long criticized Uber for damaging the city's once-iconic yellow cab industry. MarbleGate owns more than 2,000 taxi medallions, which according to city records were once valued at over $1 million but now sell for around $100,000 each. Taxi Workers Alliance executive director Bhairavi Desai described the backing from the two large companies as "incredible progress" and said it signals reduced opposition and a unified call for urgency. Representatives for Hochul and Mamdani did not respond to requests for comment.
The letter follows the deaths of four yellow taxi drivers on the job over the summer. Gothamist reported that several of the drivers had been dealing with health issues and were forced to choose between working long hours to pay their bills and seeking treatment. The letter described the situation as a "crisis that is threatening the health and safety of New York City's professional drivers."
The coalition's central proposal is to redirect a 50-cent surcharge on all yellow cab rides into a driver health fund. That surcharge has been directed to the MTA since 2009 and generates around $24 million a year. Implementing the change would require approval from state lawmakers. The letter also asks lawmakers to expand existing funds serving app-based car and livery drivers.
The alliance is unusual. The Taxi Workers Alliance has long criticized Uber for damaging the city's once-iconic yellow cab industry. MarbleGate owns more than 2,000 taxi medallions, which according to city records were once valued at over $1 million but now sell for around $100,000 each. Taxi Workers Alliance executive director Bhairavi Desai described the backing from the two large companies as "incredible progress" and said it signals reduced opposition and a unified call for urgency. Representatives for Hochul and Mamdani did not respond to requests for comment.
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