Testimony at the Taxi and Limousine Commission Hearing – May 28

th

, 2015

Our city has long been a hot bed for progressive ideals, innovation and the creation of new technology and ways of life. Each year over 57 million tourists come and visit our 8million residents and view our ways of life and how we approach our every day, fromhousing to transportation. Under the leadership of Mayor de lasio and !pea"er Mar" #iverito our city has dedicated itself to leaving the impression of fairness andtransparency. $hese ideals have embedded themselves in every corner of our governmentand are the seed of what we come to discuss today. % am proud to commit my full supportas &hair of the 'ew (or" &ity &ouncil $ransportation &ommittee for the rules proposed by the $a)i and *imousine &ommission today. $hese rules bring our ta)i and for hiremar"ets to e+ualie a previously off balance industry by instilling new regulations to balance and even the playing field. -s % stated at the beginning of my testimony, 'ew (or" has long been the home of innovation and innovators in our great nation. owever, with innovation must come agovernment response to ensure that the longtime sta"eholders in respective industries arerespected and maintained. -s a former livery driver myself % "now firsthand theimportance of a livery base in each and every community of our city. $hese bases arecenterpieces for the community, providing not only /obs but also economic output for our communities. $hough the industry is fast0changing, we must ensure that the mar"et ise+ualied so that every company can increase their technology to compete. 'o onecompany should have the lion share of our ta)i and for0hire industries. 1ather, followingthe progressive values of our city, we must ensure that the benefits are spread amongst asmany companies as possible, so that

 drivers

 

and consumers

 see the true benefits, not&EO2s. y leveling the playing field and ensuring that all sta"eholders are maintained weare ensuring the longevity of both the industry and as such ensuring that drivers 34 or 4years from now have the same level of choice they do today when affiliating. 6ith this rule pac"age the $*& ta"es another step forward towards a more transparentand fair for hire industry. $han" you &ommissioner oshi for allowing me to come testifyabout this rule pac"age (our leadership on this issue has been vital, and % loo" forward to

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