NEW YORK, Aug 13, (NYCDV) – Medallion owners, driver advocates and representatives of driver organizations testified today at a New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) hearing, urging the agency not to impose restrictions that could limit the ability of yellow taxi medallion owners to transfer or sell their medallions.
Speaking at the hearing at TLC headquarters in Manhattan, designated speakers raised concerns about proposed changes to the Medallion Relief Program (MRP) and called on the Commission to consider allowing medallions covered by the program to be transferred or sold to qualified third-party purchasers.
The TLC’s proposed rules would reduce certain fines and fees for licenses and allow eligible medallion owners to transfer their medallions to immediate family members, subject to lender approval and other TLC requirements.
TLC Chair Midori Valdivia, Deputy Commissioner Aisha Richard and other senior agency officials attended the hearing.
Among those who testified were Richard Chow, a yellow cab owner and member of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance (NYTWA); Kamal Ahmed, Chief Editor of NYC Drivers’ Voice; Michele Dottin, Grievance and Appeals Instructor with the Independent Drivers Guild (IDG); Arjun Lal, representing NOMAD; and longtime yellow cab veteran Mohammed Mohammed.
Chow, whose brother Kenny Chow died by suicide in 2018 amid financial struggles involving medallion debt, said many medallion owners do not have immediate family members to whom they can transfer their medallions.
He urged TLC to provide owners with greater flexibility.
Dottin argued that restricting medallion transfers would ultimately hurt drivers and urged the Commission to consider the financial consequences for medallion owners.
Kamal Ahmed, who represents members of New York City’s Bangladeshi driver community, said many medallion owners have spent decades working long hours, paying down loans and building equity in their medallions.
“The Medallion Relief Program was created to help struggling yellow cab owners recover financially. A relief program should not become a lock-in program,” Ahmed said.
“Once an owner transfers his or her medallion, the Medallion Relief Program no longer applies. That is our main concern,” Gabriel Strachota, Organizing Director of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance (NYTWA), told NYC Drivers’ Voice when asked to comment on the TLC’s proposed medallion rules.
Speakers urged TLC to ensure that any final rules protect the financial interests of medallion owners while preserving the original purpose of the Medallion Relief Program.
They also put forward a series of recommendations, including simplifying taxes related to medallions, ensuring fair adjudication of parking violations, closely monitoring the future entry of autonomous vehicles (AVs) into the market, imposing stricter penalties on illegal ride-hailing operators, and conducting a comprehensive review of the penalty schedules affecting drivers.
Kamal Ahmed holds a Master’s Degree in Economics. He has more than a decade of experience in New York City’s for-hire vehicle industry and has worked with the American Transit Insurance Company (ATIC). He currently serves as an industry consultant. He is the Chief Editor of NYC Drivers’ Voice. Previously, he worked for leading daily newspapers in Bangladesh and the country’s national news agency and also contributed as a stringer to international news agencies, including Reuters, AFP, Xinhua, and PTI.
