Taxi Union Partners with Uber and Equity Firm to Push for Health Fund After Driver Deaths

The union for New York City’s taxi drivers has allied with Uber and a private equity firm that holds thousands of taxi medallions to lobby for a public health fund for drivers. This appeal was made in a letter addressed to Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Governor Kathy Hochul, sent on Friday, in response to the deaths of four yellow taxi drivers over the summer.

The union’s letter proposes that the state redirect a 50-cent surcharge collected on all yellow cab rides into a health fund for drivers. This surcharge, which has been allocated to the MTA since 2009, generates roughly $24 million annually. Implementing this change would necessitate state legislative approval. The letter also requested an expansion of funds for drivers operating app-based vehicles and livery services, highlighting a growing crisis that impacts the health and safety of New York City’s professional drivers.