Jason Lawrence

The number of for-hire vehicles in New York City has exploded from 63,000 in 2015 to about 100,000 today.

The City Council is expected to vote Wednesday on regulating the for-hire vehicle industry, three years after much of the city’s political class balked at doing that very thing.

There are five* separate pieces of legislation on the table. One, sponsored by Brooklyn Councilmember Brad Lander, would set minimum pay for drivers. A second, by Stephen Levin of Brooklyn, would cap the number of FHV car licenses for a time. A third, by the Bronx’s Ruben Diaz, Sr., would authorize the city to regulate services that generate more than 10,000 rides per day.

A fourth bill would waive fees for accessible vehicles. The final one would reduce penalties for illegal street hails in certain zones.

On Tuesday, the Independent Drivers’ Guild, which says it represents many thousands of FHV drivers, weighed in on three of the proposals. Here’s what it said:



The Council meeting, which is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. but could start later, is also expected to feature a final vote on the Inwood rezoning proposal.

You can watch it here.

Correction: An earlier version of this story indicated there were three proposals; while the guild only weighed in on three, there are five.