CITY AND INDUSTRY LEADERS JOIN MAYOR DE BLASIO, TLC CHAIR JOSHI IN HONORING 295 TAXI & FOR-HIRE DRIVERS WHO WILL MAKE UP THE TLC’S FIRST-EVER VISION ZERO SAFE DRIVER HONOR ROLL The New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) today hosted an event to welcome 295 taxicab and for-hire vehicle drivers to the first-ever Vision Zero Safe Driver Honor Roll, and acknowledge their achieving a minimum five-year safe driving record. Mayor Bill de Blasio joined TLC Commissioner/Chair Meera Joshi in lauding the drivers for their commitment to safety, and to the mayor’s Vision Zero plan. The event was held at the TriBeCa Performing Arts Center at BMCC at 199 Chambers Street in Manhattan. In February 2014 Mayor de Blasio released the Vision Zero Action Plan, a roadmap of initiatives that will move the city towards its goal of zero traffic fatalities by 2024. As part of this plan, the TLC committed to recognizing the safest taxi and for-hire vehicle drivers on the road by creating a Vision Zero Driver Safety Honor Roll. This first-ever annual list recognizes taxi and for-hire vehicle drivers with individually outstanding records of safe driving over a period of at least five years. The agency has high standards for its more-than 115,000 licensed drivers, and on a mile-per-mile basis TLC-licensed drivers are among the safest drivers on New York City streets. The 295 drivers on the 2014 Safety Honor Roll represent a truly elite group. The agency reviewed of all of its licensed drivers’ records and identified 295 drivers who have, over five years or more, not had a single crash involving injury, a single traffic violation, or a single violation of TLC safety-related rules. Some of the drivers on the list have achieved the Honor Roll’s level of performance for at least the past 15 years. Part of creating a culture of greater shared responsibility on our streets is recognizing those New Yorkers who are doing things right. Our taxi and limousine drivers set the tone for New York City streets. They hold in their hands the safety not just of their passengers, but everyone in our neighborhoods. The men and women we are honoring today serve their fellow New Yorkers each and every day, and each of them has contributed to making our city safer, said Mayor Bill de Blasio. Meera Joshi, Commissioner and Chair of the TLC, said: The men and women we honor today are a stellar example of what is possible when a professional driver puts their full focus on putting the safety of their passengers, pedestrians, and other drivers first. There’s simply nothing more important about being a taxi or for-hire driver than that. I encourage passengers to let their drivers know that safety -- and not speed -- is their top priority, and to tip accordingly. Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer said: The TLC Safety Honor Roll is an idea thats overdue-- and fits in perfectly with the Vision Zero campaign. Im glad to be a part of helping honor the drivers who have the care and skill to have no accidents and no violations. We need more of them! Frank Carone, TLC Board Member, said: Being one of the three lead agencies charged with the responsibility of bringing Vision Zero to fruition, there’s no other more important mission we have than protecting public safety. The people we’re honoring today have become true partners in that mission, and the more of their fellow drivers that they inspire, the safer our city will be. I’m here today to thank them, and to tell them how important I think they are to us all. LaShann M. DeArcy, TLC Board Member, said: In my time as a TLC Board Member, I have come to see and appreciate not only the challenges that our licensees face each day, but the ways in which they overcome those challenges. The fact that these men and women put safety and the lives of passengers and pedestrians first while performing such a difficult task speaks volumes about their character and professionalism. I’m so privileged today to be able to thank them loudly and publicly for the important work they do. Elias Arout, TLC Board Member, said: There’s a song about New York City that says if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere, and it’s so true. Not only have these drivers made it here, but they’re the cream of the crop. I’m so pleased and proud to have the opportunity to thank them today, and to let them know how much we appreciate the fact that they prioritize safety as much as we do. Edward Gonzales, TLC Board Member, said: Our taxicabs and for-hire vehicles transport more than a million people every day, making them a transportation network unto themselves. Doing this so efficiently, and so well, is a staggering achievement in and of itself, but the fact that the men and women we’re here to honor today do it while valuing safety as they have is nothing short of herculean. They’ve earned our respect and our thanks. Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez said: As a former livery cab driver, I know firsthand the disproportionate effect that TLC drivers have on the safety of our streets. Safety-minded drivers like Mr. Amoafo are vital to the success of Vision Zero and we are proud to recognize them today. Ira Goldstein, Executive Director the Black Car Fund, said: I applaud the TLC for starting their Honor Roll program for drivers with clean and safe records. In general, New York City’s professional taxi and for-hire drivers are the best for having to operate under some of the most difficult circumstances in the world. It is remarkable that the drivers being honored today have maintained a clean record for at least five years. They are the Best of the Best, and they deserve our appreciation today, and every day. Ron Sherman, President of the Metropolitan Taxicab Board of Trade, said: Taxi drivers are among the safest drivers on the road and we encourage them to always place safety first, as these outstanding individuals have done. Our message to our millions of taxi passengers is to tip your driver well if you had a safe ride. Good tipping is a very meaningful way for passengers to show they value safety. If we all do our part, we will achieve Vision Zero and make New York a much safer place. Cira Angeles, Spokesperson for the Livery Base Owners Association said: I want to congratulate the 295 drivers who made the first ever TLC Safety Honor Roll List today and I am proud to say that more than a third of them represent the Livery industry. The LBO’s main focus regarding the Vision Zero Action Plan was to ensure the safety of drivers, passengers and pedestrians. I commend the TLC and the City for their continued commitment to the safety and recognition of drivers in our industry. Bhairavi Desai, Executive Director of the NY Taxi Workers Alliance, said: What an amazing accomplishment, especially given the long and stressful hours, targeted enforcement and street congestion drivers endure over 12-hour shifts with no guaranteed income or benefits, and the high costs of the lease and fuel. Taxi and FHV drivers serve one million people every day and are the safest drivers in NYC. Our Honor Roll members represent the best of the All-Stars. We applaud the Mayor and TLC Chair Joshi for this recognition and call on more programs to prioritize infrastructure and traffic redesign and peer-to-peer training. Avik Kabessa, founding member of Livery Roundtable, said: I applaud the new leadership of the TLC for a great step in the right direction. We have always believed that positive reinforcement generates more law abiding drivers than any summonses can. Erhan Tuncel, Managing Director, League of Mutual Taxi Owners, said: It’s refreshing to see so many taxi drivers exceeding the citys industry-leading standards to be recognized as the safest drivers in NYC. We may as well call them the safest drivers in the nation. LOMTO is proud of every single driver in the TLC Safety Honor Roll and commends the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission for taking the initiative to recognize their superior driving skills. Paul Steely White, Executive Director of Transportation Alternatives, said: We are pleased to have this opportunity to recognize the excellent drivers on the Taxi and Limousine Commissions Honor Roll. Professional drivers who operate taxis, liveries and other for-hire vehicles are central to the Vision Zero effort because set they set the tone on New York City streets. These operators know that they must be able to give their give their undivided attention to navigating our dense urban landscape, which is filled with people of all ages who are walking, biking, strolling, and who are extremely vulnerable to injury or death if struck by a motorist. Michael O’Loughlin, Campaign Director, Cab Riders United, said: Cab Riders United is pleased to help hail these 295 safest drivers, truly an elite group among the citys 100,000 taxi and for-hire vehicle drivers. These exceptionally safe drivers set a high standard and prove what is possible: we can and should have a taxi and for-hire vehicle industry that works without fail toward the Vision Zero goal of eliminating injury and death on our city’s streets. Ethan B. Gerber, Esq., Executive Director and Co-Founder, Greater New York Taxi Association, said: For almost eighty years, the New York medallion cab has been the safest, most reliable form of private for-hire transportation in the world. Its drivers are rigorously trained, its vehicles painstakingly inspected, its owners and operators carefully screened and its customer prices and fares set and regulated. Today the TLC is showing New Yorkers what the members of GNYTA have often declared: mile by mile, yellow cab drivers are the safest drivers on the road and the best option for New Yorkers. Tweeps Phillips, Executive Director, Committee for Taxi Safety, said: The Committee for Taxi Safety represents some of the safest owner drivers on the road. Supporting our hard working members and their small businesses for their outstanding service and strong commitment to our economic future is an investment that we should all value. 2014 Vision Zero Driver Safety Honor Roll by the Numbers: * 295 drivers made the 2014 Honor Roll; 178 drive yellow taxis, 110 drive black cars or livery cars, four drive both yellow taxis and black cars or liveries, and three drive commuter vans. * 18 drivers from both license types also drive Boro Taxis. * The median age is 50 for Honor Roll drivers, slightly older than the median age for all drivers (46). * 38 percent of Honor Roll drivers live in Queens; 27 percent live in Brooklyn; 20 percent in the Bronx; seven percent in Manhattan; two percent in Staten Island; five percent outside NYC. * On average, Honor Roll drivers have held a TLC license for 13 years * 29 Honor Roll drivers (10 percent) have not received a summons ticket from the TLC in the last 15 years. * Nine female drivers made the Honor Roll, all of whom drive black cars or livery cars. Female drivers make up three percent of all Honor Roll drivers and eight percent of all Honor Roll drivers who drive black cars or livery cars. Among all black car and livery drivers, women represent four percent of the population. Yellow Taxi Honor Roll Drivers * 30 yellow taxi drivers are owner-drivers (15 percent of all yellow Honor Roll drivers) * Honor Roll drivers driving yellow taxis have logged nearly 20 million miles with passengers since 2009, serving over eight million passengers and making over $85 million in fare revenue * One yellow taxi driver has driven over 190,000 passenger-miles since 2009, serving over 50,000 passengers * TLC estimates that Honor Roll drivers have logged over 3 million collective hours on NYC roads in yellow taxis since 2009. * Two Honor Roll drivers actively drive accessible taxis today; six drivers have driven accessible yellow taxis sometime from 2009 to mid-2014. * Taxifleet Management, a member fleet of the Committee for Taxi Safety, is the fleet garage with the highest number of Honor Roll drivers leasing sometime from 2009 to mid-2014 with 21 drivers. * The second highest number of drivers leased from All Taxi Management, a member fleet of the Metropolitan Taxi Board of Trade (12 drivers). About the NYC TLC: The New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) was created in 1971, and is the agency responsible for the regulation and licensing of almost 200,000 yellow medallion taxicabs and for-hire vehicles, their drivers, and the businesses that operate and support their industries. It is recognized as the largest and most active taxi and limousine regulatory body in the United States. To find out more about the TLC, or to review its rules, regulations and procedures, we encourage you to visit our official Web site at WWW.NYC.GOV/TAXI or contact 311/311 Online. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Visit Taxi and Limousine Commission Web site at: nyc.gov/taxi Follow Us On: Facebook - facebook/nyctaxilimo/ Twitter - twitter/nyctaxi/ Tumblr - nyctaxi.tumblr/ This is the NYC.gov News you requested for: TLC News To unsubscribe, please go to this link: https://nyc.gov/portal/signin.jsp Comment on this news service: nyc.gov/html/misc/html/news_feedback.html PLEASE DO NOT REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE!
Posted on: Mon, 08 Sep 2014 19:54:51 +0000
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