Drivers, advocates press council to keep medallion-relief program open and fund WAV transition

A coalition of taxi drivers, taxi-worker advocates and community members urged city officials and council members at the DOT/Parks executive hearing and the public testimony period to extend city programs that helped restructure medallion debt and to fund the continued transition to wheelchair-accessible vehicles.

What drivers said: Multiple speakers representing the New York Taxi Workers Alliance and individual drivers described how city-backed programs and loan restructurings since 2021 have helped many drivers but left several hundred owner-drivers still facing unaffordable payments. Richard Chow, Wayne Chin, and others asked the city to "keep the MRP program open" and to provide the $30,000 grant used in the medallion refinancing program so remaining lenders can be persuaded to accept settlements. One owner-operator described a monthly medallion loan payment falling from about $2,670 to $1,234 after debt relief measures earlier in the decade. Several drivers said they remain unable to participate because individual lenders refused to negotiate or because they needed more time.

Why this matters: The medallion debt crisis has been a long-running financial and mental-health emergency for many drivers. Drivers said remaining loan restructurings are relatively few (drivers and advocates estimated a couple hundred loans) but require time and either additional city guarantees or cooperation from lenders. The Taxi Workers Alliance said a modest time extension for program eligibility would allow lenders willing to accept settlements to finish deals that restructure remaining loans with the city's guaranty and the previously promised $30,000 grant.

Wheelchair-accessible vehicle (WAV) transition: Dozens of witnesses also urged the city to reinforce funding and incentive mechanisms to meet the city's WAV requirement and to ensure drivers can adopt WAVs without incurring crushing up-front costs. WAVs are significantly more expensive than conventional taxi vehicles. Witnesses asked the council to restore or supplement the Taxi Improvement Fund (TIF) and to restore a previously collected $1-per-trip driver supplement (which DOT and TLC restructured while increasing immediate TIF benefits) to help operating drivers cover fuel and maintenance costs tied to wheelchair-accessible vehicles. Advocates said restoring a modest per-trip allocation and rethinking TIF funding would prevent smaller owner-drivers from being forced out of the market.

City response and next steps: Committee members and DOT/TLC staff discussed the agency-level constraints and the need for discussions with state officials on financing, data sharing, and WAV policy implementation. The Taxi Workers Alliance asked the council to press the administration to keep the medallion relief program open until every eligible loan is restructured and to pursue TIF stabilization so WAV adoption is practical for owner-drivers.

Ending: Drivers asked the council to marshal whatever authority and funding are necessary to finish restructuring the remaining loans and to ensure WAV transition funding and policy settings do not shift costs onto current owner-drivers who lack access to low-cost capital.