NYC Taxi and Limousine Commissioner Resigns

Commissioner Meera Joshi New York — Commissioner Meera Joshi, the head of the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC), made an announcement that she will step down from her position in March. Since being unanimously confirmed in the role in 2014, Joshi was celebrated by New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, transit experts and taxi advocates for expanding services to the disabled, reducing fatal crashes among for-hire vehicles and taxis, and pushing for regulation that allowed the agency to collect data from app-based companies like Uber.

Her resignation has rattled an industry that continues to struggle in the midst of the proliferation of Uber, Lyft, and other TNCs.

While the TLC declined to comment, Joshi issued a statement that highlighted the “increased accountability, safety, access, modernized taxi regulation, protected drivers and increased consumer protections” achieved by the organization during her tenure.

“The timing of commissioner Joshi’s resignation is concerning because the crisis for New York City drivers is far from over and the Taxi and Limousine Commission’s work to fix it is just beginning,” said Bhairavi Desai, executive director of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance, an association representing professional drivers.

Joshi’s announcement comes after several weeks of public disagreement between her and de Blasio in regards to the congestion fee imposed on for-hire vehicles (FHV) by the state government and scheduled to go into effect this month until a lawsuit stalled it. The commissioner said the fee would be “potentially devastating” for cabdrivers, while other sectors of the industry would have more flexibility to absorb the fee.

de Blasio last month supported the fee in an interview with WNYC, saying it would reduce traffic while funding repairs to the transit system.

In a statement, de Blasio said Joshi left behind an “unparalleled legacy.”

“Under her leadership New Yorkers who use wheelchairs can get service, passengers are assured that every driver and vehicle is safe, our city has detailed records of the one million daily trips, and New York City is the only place where app drivers have pay protection,” said de Blasio.

Mitchell Moss, director of New York University’s Rudin Center for Transportation Policy & Management, believes that Joshi’s departure is a loss for the city, as the collection of data from app-based companies, which was instituted under her oversight, has allowed the city to regulate a rapidly growing sector.

“She has understood the importance of ensuring privacy but not letting the private firms control the information,” Moss said.

According to city officials, a replacement will be announced in coming months.

“It’s no secret that we have often disagreed, but Chair Joshi has always remained committed to the facts and policy over politics,” said Uber spokeswoman Alix Anfang. “No matter the political environment.”

Visit nyc.gov/taxi for more information.

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